ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Sequestration: Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from which budgets the £90 million allocated in Budget 2009 for research into carbon capture and storage will be drawn.

Mike O'Brien: £60 million is transferred from the Department of Transport and £30 million from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 since its creation.

Mike O'Brien: Nil.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what services his Department has outsourced since its establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Departmental Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Mike O'Brien: Complaints to DECC, received by whatever means, i.e. by  (a) e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone or  (d) via the Department's website, should be dealt with within 15 working days of receipt.
	Where possible, complaints should be resolved at the point of receipt. Where this is not possible, the complaint is passed to the unit within the department responsible for the area of work complained about, to be dealt with there. If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, the complainant is given the option to escalate the complaint to DECC's impartial Service Standards Adjudicator if it's about standards of service; or to DECC's Secretary of State or a DECC Minister via a Member of Parliament for complaints about DECC policy or legal issues.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on  (a) conference services and  (b) banqueting services since its creation.

Mike O'Brien: Since its creation on 3 October 2008 the Department has spent  (a) £64,800 on conference services and  (b) nothing on banqueting services.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of office supplies purchased by his Department were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: DECC does not separately account for purchases of office supplies made from recycled products.

Mineral Resources: International Cooperation

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the Government's strategy for preservation of global mineral resources.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has not had any discussions with his right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on the Government's strategy for preservation of global mineral resources.

Natural Gas: Waste Disposal

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of mains gas supply is accounted for by production from anaerobic digester plants.

Mike O'Brien: Currently no gas in the mains system is provided by anaerobic digester plants.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Copyright: Internet

Kim Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to replace self-regulation in respect of digital content and copyright into a statutory system;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with internet service providers on measures to reduce levels of copyright theft and infringement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on proposals to vest in Ofcom a statutory power to create a code of practice on terms for transfer of shares of revenues generated by the use of copyrighted material;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to investigate the effects of copyright piracy on the economic viability of the digital content business sector;
	(5)  what discussions he has had with  (a) Ministerial colleagues and  (b) the UK Film Council on the Council's proposal for a legislative structure to support a graduated response approach to online copyright theft and infringement;
	(6)  what steps he plans to take to maintain the economic viability of the UK's digital content business sector;
	(7)  what discussions he has had with  (a) the Digital Rights Agency and  (b) other digital rights representatives on amendments to the present regulatory regime on infringements of copyright in respect of digital rights;
	(8)  if he will assess the merits of a deterrence scheme to ensure that higher broadband speeds do not lead to an increase in illegal file sharing and copyright theft.

Andy Burnham: The Government recognise the damaging economic impact of copyright theft and infringement, and unlawful peer-to-peer file-sharing in particular, on the creative sector. Although the music industry is currently affected most by this, other industries—such as film, computer games and publishing—will be increasingly affected as higher broadband speeds are introduced. Last year we set up a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Government, internet service providers (ISPs) and rights holders, as a first step to finding agreement on a way forward. Outcomes from the MOU informed the proposals set out in the Digital Britain Interim Report (DBIR) in January. The DBIR proposed a requirement for ISPs to notify their customers when rights holders identified them as engaging in unlawful file sharing. Information on the most serious infringers would then be made available to rights holders (based on the collection of data on the notification requests from rights holders, and subject to a court order) to help them prioritise legal action against those infringers. This would provide a form of graduated response up to prosecution for the most serious infringers. Other forms of graduated response have been suggested to us in response to consultations on this issue, and we are considering the merits of these. We have also consulted on the idea of creating a rights agency, the establishment of a code of practice and Ofcom's possible involvement in this. We have discussed these issues and ideas at ministerial and official level both between Departments and with many interested parties, including ISPs, the UK Film Council and other rights holders' representatives. We will issue a further consultation on the legislative proposals shortly.
	More generally, the DBIR acknowledged the structural and cyclical pressures on the UK's media industry and the threats to continued investment in UK-originated content in the digital world. We recognise the challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to digital, and the DBIR made a commitment to investigate ways to address these issues further. Our conclusions will be published in the final Digital Britain report.

Digital Broadcasting: Scotland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to ensure that residents of Scotland are prepared for the digital switchover.

Andy Burnham: Digital UK and the Switchover Help Scheme are the organisations responsible for implementing the digital switchover and providing assistance to those who may need it.
	The Scottish information campaign began in October 2007. Since then leaflets have been sent to every Scottish home and TV, radio and press campaigns have been running at intervals to inform viewers about their options for switchover. Over the past two years, Digital UK's Scotland team has carried out a number of public and stakeholder meetings and events to ensure that residents and key stakeholders in Scotland are prepared for the switchover.
	The Switchover Help Scheme will begin operating in each transmitter group area up to eight months prior to switchover to offer practical help to those who are eligible. Additionally, national, regional and local charities will begin a programme of community outreach across Scotland to support individuals through the switchover process. Project management, materials and grants are funded through Digital UK. Digital UK also runs a website providing information on switchover at:
	http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/

Future Jobs Fund

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has available as part of the Future Jobs Fund.

Andy Burnham: The Future Jobs Fund is held by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and I announced in May, plans to create 5-10,000 jobs in the cultural and creative sector. Sports organisations have already pledged to bid for at least 5,000 jobs.

Tourism Advisory Council

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representation from local authorities there is on the Tourism Advisory Council.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 12 May 2009
	 There is currently no representation from local authorities on the Tourism Advisory Council (TAC). The first meeting of the council took place on 30 April 2009 and was established to draw together senior practitioners primarily from the tourism industry to engage with the Government Departments whose policies impact on tourism.
	However, after consultation with Visit England's chair, we are currently reviewing the local authority representation on the TAC.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Caravans

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had with  (a) the Mayor of London and  (b) Transport for London on the provision of caravan sites for those attending the Olympic games in 2012 since December 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: There are no plans for spaces for recreational caravans in the Olympic Park. However, we recognise that motor home and caravan users may wish to attend the 2012 games and we expect that, closer to the time, the Olympic Delivery Authority will wish to follow up initial discussions it has had with the Caravan Club to explore the potential for games-time integration of public transport provision and licensed caravan sites.

Olympic Games 2012: Southend on Sea

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions her Office has had since January 2008 with Southend borough council to enable it to  (a) participate fully in and  (b) receive a legacy from the London 2012 Olympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Although the Government Olympic Executive has had no direct discussions with Southend borough council about the legacy of London 2012 in Southend, I meet regularly with the chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) and my officials work closely with their LGA counterparts.
	We are fully committed to ensuring that everyone in the UK can be part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The Legacy Action Plan which I published in June last year sets out more details on how we propose to deliver this vision. I am especially keen for regions to identify what is important to them. At a regional level this work is being taken forward by the Nations and Regions Group (NRG) who are working hard to optimise local benefits of the games.
	In December 2008 I addressed the LGA conference which had an Olympic focus. I regularly attend meetings with the London councils and meet the five London host borough representatives. I also undertake a programme of regional visits where I meet with local representatives and businesses to highlight the potential benefits and opportunities of London 2012.
	We are already seeing great progress in a lot of these areas, for example 23 of the Olympic Delivery Authority's suppliers are businesses registered in Essex. 66 facilities from the region, including Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre in Essex are included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide. Additionally, I am delighted that Southend Unitary Authority is offering free swimming to the over 60s and under 16s.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering

Paul Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made of the number of meals purchased in House of Commons cafeterias in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: The House of Commons catering service does not record the number of meals purchased in its cafeterias but instead records the number of sales transactions. A transaction is defined as a customer sale and may be for one meal, several meals, or merely a drink or snack. The number of cafeteria transactions is set out below for the 12 months from April 2008 to March 2009, although the hon. Member should note that the figures are recorded on the basis of 12 financial periods, not calendar months.
	
		
			   Cafeterias  Café/snack venues  Total cafeterias, café/snack bars 
			 Period 1 81,914 15,568 97,482 
			 Period 2 96,733 17,164 113,897 
			 Period 3 116,888 20,828 137,716 
			 Period 4 101,617 18,950 120,567 
			 Period 5 51,991 16,607 68,598 
			 Period 6 66,055 21,851 87,906 
			 Period 7 93,054 17,301 110,355 
			 Period 8 107,559 19,498 127,057 
			 Period 9 109,845 19,418 129,263 
			 Period 10 68,936 11,367 80,303 
			 Period 11 98,048 17,540 115,588 
			 Period 12 144,846 25,507 170,353 
			 Totals 2008-09 1,137,486 221,599 1,359,085

Drinking Water

Paul Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate the Commission has made of the number of plastic bottles of water sold in House of Commons cafeterias in each of the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: A month-by-month breakdown of the number of plastic water bottles sold in the House of Commons cafeterias and other catering venues in the 12 months from April 2008-March 2009 is set out as follows. The hon. Member should note that the figures are recorded on the basis of 12 financial periods, not calendar months.
	
		
			   Cafeteria  Other venues  Total 
			 Period 1 7,253 773 8,026 
			 Period 2 9,309 1,205 10,514 
			 Period 3 10,302 1,462 11,764 
			 Period 4 8,774 1,366 10,140 
			 Period 5 4,569 1,295 5,864 
			 Period 6 4,837 1,279 6,116 
			 Period 7 6,607 895 7,502 
			 Period 8 7,046 785 7,831 
			 Period 9 7,019 637 7,656 
			 Period 10 4,477 389 4,866 
			 Period 11 6,372 670 7,042 
			 Period 12 10,334 1,214 11,548 
			 Totals 2008-09 86,899 1,970 98,869

Energy

Paul Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what the energy consumption was of each building on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the level of electricity consumption of each building on the parliamentary estate.

Nick Harvey: The energy consumption of each building on the parliamentary estate, broken down by gas and electricity usage, for each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Energy consumption 
			  MWh 
			   2006-07  2007 - 08  2008-09 
			  Building  Gas  Electricity  Total  Gas  Electricity  Total  Gas  Electricity  Total 
			 Palace of Westminster 17,851 15,138 32,989 18,593 14,662 33,255 20,634 15,278 35,912 
			 Portcullis House 3,126 3,910 7,036 3,339 3,790 7,129 3,676 3,728 7,404 
			 Norman Shaw N and S 2,430 2,070 4,500 3,011 2,108 5,119 3,214 2,130 5344 
			 1 Canon Row — 832 832 — 830 830 — 818 818 
			 1 Parliament Street 1,986 2,310 4296 2,117 2,260 4,377 2,135 2,303 4,438 
			 Parliamentary Bookshop — 34 34 — 25 25 — 23 23 
			 7 Millbank 1,651 3823 5,474 1,737 3,938 5,675 2,107 4,087 6,194 
			 2 The Abbey Garden 91 55 146 72 53 125 101 52 153 
			 Underground Car Park — 251 251 — 314 314 — 354 354 
			 22 John Islip Street 51 32 83 83 29 112 73 24 97 
			 Total 27,186 28,455 55,641 28,952 28,009 56,961 31,940 28,797 60,737

Food: Waste Disposal

Paul Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate the Commission has made of the amount of food waste by weight arising from House of Commons cafeterias in each of the last 12 months; and by what means such waste is disposed.

Nick Harvey: No record is kept of the amount of food waste by weight but a record is kept of the value of food waste. The cost of food wastage is set out as follows for the House of Commons cafeterias for each of the 12 months from April 2008-March 2009. The hon. Member should note that the figures are recorded on the basis of 12 financial periods, not calendar months.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Period 1 6,394 
			 Period 2 5,845 
			 Period 3 11,382 
			 Period 4 9,501 
			 Period 5 6,928 
			 Period 6 4,762 
			 Period 7 7,510 
			 Period 8 7,761 
			 Period 9 7,347 
			 Period 10 4,694 
			 Period 11 5,386 
			 Period 12 7,414 
			 Total 2008-09 84,924 
		
	
	Food waste is currently mixed with the general waste stream and sent to disposal facilities in the London area obtaining energy from waste. A review of alternative schemes, such as the commercial collection of food waste for transportation to an anaerobic digestion facility, has been scheduled for 2009-10.

Furniture

Paul Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many items of office furniture were  (a) purchased and  (b) disposed of by the House of Commons Commission in each of the last three years; and what estimate the Commission has made of the (i) weight and (ii) total value of each category.

Nick Harvey: Figures for the monetary value of office furniture purchased in each of the last three years are: £380,557 (2006), £1,079,461 (2007) and £392,387 (2008). The monetary value of office furniture disposed of in the same period is recorded only back to 2008; the figure in that year was £2,614.91. The weight of items is not recorded and so cannot be quantified per annum.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission at what meetings the House of Commons Commission has considered implementation of amendment (f) of 3 July 2008 on the designation of second homes and capital gains tax; what decision was reached; what legal advice was sought and given; and which Members were in attendance.

Nick Harvey: Matters which relate to the Members Estimate are considered by the Members Estimate Committee rather than the House of Commons Commission. I will contact the hon. Member.

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

Ian Davidson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much has been spent on improving or renovating accommodation in the House of Commons part of the Palace of Westminster in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The amount spent by the House of Commons on improving and renovating the Palace of Westminster has been:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2004-05 6,183 
			 2005-06 7,524 
			 2006-07 10,057 
			 2007-08 9,743 
			 2008-09 2,559 
		
	
	This excludes general maintenance costs, some of which are incurred across the whole Estate, and expenditure on security related projects. The Palace is shared with the House of Lords who account for their share of the costs incurred separately.

Pay

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the  (a) gross annual income from the House of Commons and  (b) job title was of each of the (i) officers and (ii) staff of the House of Commons who earned more than a backbench hon. Member in 2008-09.

Nick Harvey: The basic salary payable to Members is £63,291 per annum as at 31 March 2009. As at that date, 89 employees were paid a gross annual salary above this figure; of these 82 were Officers of the House and seven were staff of the House.
	The provision of a list of these posts would allow individual staff to be identified which is contrary to House policy on data protection. A list of the posts in the House of Commons senior structure and at pay band Al, which have pay band maxima higher than Members' current salary was placed in the Library in April 2009 in response to the question from the right hon. and learned Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Mr. Hogg), on 22 April 2009,  Official Report, column 739W.
	Details of the staff pay bands and staff pay arrangements are available on the parliamentary intranet. The salaries of Members of the Management Board are disclosed in the House of Commons: Administration annual accounts.

Procurement

Paul Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many paper receipts were issued to suppliers by the House authorities in each of the last three years.

Nick Harvey: Receipts are issued at catering and retail outlets in the House of Commons but there is no business need to keep records of numbers. During the summer opening of the Palace of Westminster to the public, receipts are issued to visitors purchasing tickets by credit card but the numbers are not readily available. The Parliamentary Bookshop issued the following number of paper receipts based on till transactions:
	2008-09: 20,734
	2007-08: 19,991.
	Information about the bookshop in 2006-07 is not available in the form requested, but is believed to be similar to the later years.

Vending Machines

Paul Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many vending machines there are on the House of Commons estate; and what the energy rating of each such machine is.

Nick Harvey: There are a total of 13 vending machines in operation on the House of Commons estate.
	No information is available about the energy rating of each machine.
	However, the machines are scheduled for replacement later this year and energy efficiency, including the use of timers and sensors, will be taken into account when selecting replacement models.

TRANSPORT

A64

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the cost of the recent installation of warning signs for overhead cables on the A64 York to Scarborough road was;
	(2)  how many  (a) road traffic and  (b) other accidents or incidents there have been on the A64 York to Scarborough road caused by or involving vehicles hitting overhead lines in the last three months;
	(3)  what risk assessment was carried out prior to the installation of overhead cable warning signs on the A64 York to Scarborough road;
	(4)  how many individual overhead cable warning signs have been erected on the A64 since 1 January 2009.

Paul Clark: 424 overhead cable warning signs have been erected on the A64 since 1 January 2009 at a cost of approximately £50,000.
	There have been no road traffic accidents or other incidents on the A64 York to Scarborough road caused by or involving vehicles hitting overhead lines in the last three months.
	A project specific risk assessment was undertaken to identify a safe method of erection and maintenance of these signs. Prior to any maintenance activity on the A64 a scheme specific risk assessment is undertaken to identify hazards, including overhead power cables, and to ensure risks to road workers are mitigated. The marker posts also enable the emergency services to more easily identify overhead power lines as part of their risk assessment when attending an incident.

British Transport Police: ICT

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many and what proportion of British Transport Police computers malware was detected in 2008.

Paul Clark: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of malicious attacks against their IT systems and those of the bodies for which they are responsible.
	The British Transport police have a policy on managing risks posed by all forms of malicious software ('malware').

Bus Services: Concessions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) administrative and  (b) financial consequences of reimbursement being made by central Government to bus operators for the concessionary bus fare scheme.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has recently published a consultation paper on possible changes to the administration of concessionary travel. Option 3 within this consultation paper is for the administration of the statutory minimum bus concession to be moved to central Government and for bus operators to be reimbursed through national negotiation with the Department.
	If this option was chosen following the consultation, the Department would need to undertake further detailed assessment of the administrative and financial consequences of such a model.
	The draft impact assessment that was published alongside the consultation sets out the Department's initial assessment of such a move. A move to central administration and reimbursement would bring with it a number of complexities, including the potential for duplication of reimbursement negotiations if enhanced concessions continue to be offered at a local level. In addition to any transitional start-up costs, the Department currently estimates a move to central administration would have an average annual cost of £8 million, offset by average annual savings to local authorities of £10.6 million.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to (i) all staff and (ii) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Geoff Hoon: The amount of end-of-year non-consolidated performance payments paid to all staff and senior civil service staff in the Department for Transport is shown in the table.
	
		
			   All staff  SCS 
			 Overall number of staff 19,493 187 
			 Number receiving end year non-consolidated performance payments 13,332 139 
			 End year non-consolidated performance payments amount (£) 9,813,937 1,344,831 
		
	
	Total pay bill was £643,685,777, of which 1.73 per cent., was used for non-consolidated performance payments to staff. The mean payment made was £736 for all staff and £9,675 for senior civil service.

Driving: Licensing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of applications for driving licence renewals were rejected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such rejected applications resulted in a retest in each of those years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not held in the form requested.

Driving: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many assessments under the Driving Quality Monitoring scheme were conducted in  (a) Greater London,  (b) Greater Manchester and  (c) Strathclyde in the 2008-09 financial year; and how many of the assessments in each area found the quality of driving to be unacceptable.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 13 May 2009
	 The following assessments were conducted under the Driver Quality Monitoring Scheme in 2008-09.
	
		
			   Greater London  Greater Manchester 
			 Assessments 7,237 908 
			 Unacceptable drives 1,591 387 
			 Percentage 21 42 
		
	
	The Driving Standards Agency's last Driver Quality Monitoring contract in Strathclyde terminated in January 2007.
	The data from the assessment is collated and reported back to the client on the next day, for potential remedial action. For those assessments recording dangerous faults the bus company is notified on the day of the assessment. In all cases the client is responsible for any further action.

Ferries

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements there are on UK ferry operators on routes of less than 20 miles in terms of  (a) passenger loading limits and  (b) records to be kept of the numbers of people boarding their vessels.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1420-421W.
	In addition:
	 Passenger loading limits
	The Department for Transport places no absolute limit on the number of passengers that may be carried on any class of passenger ships (with the exception of classes VI and VIA, which have very restricted operations and are limited to a maximum of 250 and 50 passengers respectively). In general the vessel operator may design and equip the vessel to carry the number of passengers they believe there is market demand for.
	Regulations then require that appropriate standards of safety are provided to meet the risks posed by the vessel's service and the number of passengers carried. These address areas such as intact stability, freeboard, damage survivability, fire protection, provision of lifesaving appliances, manning levels, safety management, pollution prevention—in each case, the greater the number of passengers and the longer the voyage, the more comprehensive the technical requirements so as to ensure a level of safety appropriate to the risk. Other regulations also apply, but are independent of the number of passengers on board, e.g. for safety of navigation or provision of radios.
	Instructions to surveyors and other departmental guidance lay down requirements for passenger accommodation and seating, provision of sanitary facilities, and provisions for persons of reduced mobility. While this guidance does not have the force of law, surveyors will not recommend issue of a passenger certificate unless the vessel meets the required standards.
	On completion of surveys which take account of the above factors, the end result is the issue of a Passenger Certificate, which stipulates the maximum number of passengers and the total number of persons on board (including crew) that can be safely carried, and the minimum freeboard corresponding to the maximum draught (loading limit) which is marked on the side of the ship.
	 Passenger counting
	The Master is prohibited by The Merchant Shipping (Survey and Certification) Regulations 1995 from having on board a greater number of passengers than that stated on the ship's Passenger Certificate. He is assisted in meeting this obligation by the Merchant Shipping (Counting and Registration of Persons on Board Passenger Ships) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No. 1869), supported by Merchant Shipping Notice 1794, which describes practical methods for counting and registering passengers.
	For voyages of less than 20 miles, the regulations require a count of passengers and crew and for this information to be held ashore for the duration of the voyage.
	This information is used to check compliance with safety regulations, and for search and rescue authorities, in the event of an incident.

First Great Western: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to monitor First Great Western's performance in delivering its financial commitments since the last review.

Paul Clark: Officials meet First Great Western at least every four weeks to review progress of the franchise. The franchise agreement sets out a standard agenda for these meetings, which includes financial performance and performance of the franchisee in meeting its contractual commitments. The Department for Transport is satisfied that First Great Western is meeting its financial commitments.

First Great Western: Standards

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train services have been cancelled by First Great Western in the last 12 months.

Paul Clark: In the 12 months to 30 March 2009, 7,024 First Great Western trains were cancelled. Of this total, 3,055 cancellations were attributable to First Great Western itself, the others being caused by Network Rail or by other train operators. These figures include partial cancellations (where a train departs but does not complete its planned journey).

First Great Western: Standards

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the performance of First Great Western in delivering its commitment to improve service reliability.

Paul Clark: Officials meet First Great Western at least every four weeks to review overall progress of the franchise. Officials also meet First Great Western at the milestone reporting sessions contractualised in the remedial agreement to review progress in reducing train cancellations against the provisions of that agreement. First Great Western is currently compliant with the cancellations reduction trajectory contained in the remedial agreement.

Government Car and Despatch Agency: Fines

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) speeding fines,  (b) London congestion charge fines and  (c) parking fines were incurred by the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each of the last four years for which information is available; how much was incurred in total in each category; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 24 March 2009,  Official Report, column 204W, given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps).

Lighting

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of lamp posts maintained by local authorities in England and in use which are beyond their design life; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: It is for each local authority to decide how to manage its street lighting systems and the Department for Transport does not regularly collect information on street lighting column age. In order to inform the local transport plan capital allocations, in 2006 the Department asked English local authorities outside London to report the number of columns they had aged 40 years or more. At that time, authorities reported 771,900 columns; but this figure has not been independently verified, and may include some columns no longer in use.
	The Department encourages local authorities to adopt an asset management approach to maintaining their highways assets, including basing decisions on accurate inventory and condition data rather than notional design lives.

Parking: Disabled

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of provision of disabled parking spaces in England.

Paul Clark: Provision of disabled parking spaces is covered by Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) legislation. The Department for Transport has published the 'Inclusive Mobility' guidance document to help service providers (such as local authorities and car park operators) to meet their requirements under the DDA. Powers exist for disabled people to challenge service providers who they believe do not meet their DDA requirements.
	We are working with the British Parking Association and British Council of Shopping Centres to look at the adequacy of existing provision of off-street disabled parking spaces.

Railways: EU Countries

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made for benchmarking purposes of the proportion of travel undertaken by rail in continental European countries.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has not made an estimate for benchmarking purposes of the proportion of travel undertaken by rail compared to continental European countries. The Eurostat publication, "Key figures on Europe 2009 edition" contains a selection of key transport statistics including estimates of rail travel by country. It can be found on the Eurostat website at
	http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-EI-08-001/EN/KS-EI-08-001-EN.PDF

Railways: Fares

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to establish a nationally-available frequent user railcard.

Paul Clark: It is not our intention to establish a nationally available frequent user railcard. Any new railcard offering discounts, would need to be revenue generative for the industry as otherwise, under the current system, it would require Government subsidy. There is no current evidence that such a railcard would generate revenue.
	Some season tickets already offer loyalty style discounts, such as the "gold card" for annual season tickets in the south-east—offering one third off off-peak travel in the south-east.

Railways: Franchises

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations his Department has received from train operating companies on the financial viability of extant rail franchises.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has regular discussions with all train operators who have franchise contracts with the Government as part of our ongoing monitoring system.

Railways: Franchises

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train services on the East Coast Main Line have been cancelled by National Express since it assumed the franchise; how many were cancelled by GNER in each of the last five years of its existence; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The following table shows the number of cancellations.
	
		
			  Franchisee  Reporting period  Full cancellations 
			 GNER 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 661 
			  1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 559 
			  1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 546 
			  1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 805 
			  1 April 2007 to 8 December 2007 763 
			
			 NXEC 9 December 2007 to 31 March 2008 234 
			  1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 625 
		
	
	In the last five years of its existence, GNER cancelled an average of 55 trains per month. Since taking over the East Coast franchise, National Express East Coast (NXEC) have cancelled an average of 51 trains per month. This is against a backdrop of an increased number of services. Having established themselves in the franchise, NXEC have significantly improved performance.
	Since the start of the NXEC franchise, the PPM Moving Annual Average (MAA) has risen from 81.2 per cent. to 86.9 per cent. In the last four weeks, period ending 31 March 2009, NXEC cancelled 37 trains and achieved a record PPM of 91.9 per cent.

Roads: Accidents

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 488-89W, on roads: accidents, how many drivers of each type of vehicle involved in incidents causing cyclists' deaths in the last five years had  (a) a UK and  (b) a non-UK driving licence.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not held centrally.

Virgin Trains

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what topics were raised in the discussions his Department has had with Virgin Trains in the last six months.

Paul Clark: In the last six months, Department for Transport officials met Virgin West Coast every four weeks to review the financial, operational and contractual performance of the franchise. In addition, Ministers and senior officials from the Department held separate meetings with Virgin West Coast to discuss implementation of the December 2008 timetable and subsequent performance issues.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) rural farms and  (b) smallholdings each local authority holds; and how many have been vacant for longer than (i) three and (ii) six months.

Jane Kennedy: The annual report to Parliament on smallholdings in England provides details of the numbers of statutory smallholdings held by local authorities analysed according to size of holding. This information is set out in the following table. DEFRA does not hold information regarding the number of smallholdings that are vacant or the duration of vacancies, and it would be for individual local authorities to provide these details.
	The latest published annual report is the 57th Report for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007, which is available in the Library of the House and can also be seen on the DEFRA website.
	
		
			  Analysis of smallholdings by size at 31 March 2007 
			   Number of holdings 
			  Cou nty/u nitary  a uthority  0  to  20 ha  20  to  40 ha  Over 40 ha  Total 
			 Bedfordshire 83 30 25 138 
			 Berkshire West — 2 1 3 
			 Bournemouth 5 1 1 7 
			 Brighton and Hove 24 4 23 51 
			 Buckinghamshire 35 17 14 66 
			 Cambridgeshire 137 67 140 344 
			 Cheshire 58 51 28 137 
			 City of York 2 — 2 4 
			 Cornwall 10 51 51 112 
			 Cumbria 6 8 — 14 
			 Devon 6 32 53 91 
			 Dorset 6 28 32 66 
			 Durham 1 2 12 15 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 65 54 17 136 
			 East Sussex — 1 1 2 
			 Essex 8 3 — 11 
			 Gloucestershire 56 49 31 136 
			 Hampshire 40 8 18 66 
			 Hartlepool — 1 1 2 
			 Herefordshire 4 48 9 61 
			 Hertfordshire 23 18 21 62 
			 Lancashire 2 — — 2 
			 Leicestershire 10 52 20 82 
			 Lincolnshire 120 84 76 280 
			 Medway 2 — 1 3 
			 Milton Keynes 5 2 5 12 
			 Norfolk 116 54 70 240 
			 Northamptonshire 8 5 2 15 
			 North Lincolnshire 17 1 — 18 
			 North Somerset 5 1 5 11 
			 Northumberland 1 — 6 7 
			 North Yorkshire 16 44 18 78 
			 Nottinghamshire 12 6 1 19 
			 Oxfordshire 34 5 2 41 
			 Peterborough 12 1 15 28 
			 Shropshire 25 17 1 43 
			 Slough 1 — — 1 
			 Somerset 17 41 31 89 
			 South Gloucestershire 8 6 4 18 
			 Staffordshire 48 68 19 135 
			 Suffolk 15 20 67 102 
			 Surrey 41 13 6 60 
			 Swindon 4 9 6 19 
			 Thurrock 6 3 2 11 
			 Torbay 2 — — 2 
			 Warrington 3 2 — 5 
			 Warwickshire 36 19 20 75 
			 West Sussex 14 2 5 21 
			 Wiltshire 22 27 22 71 
			 Worcestershire 96 20 10 126 
			 Total 1,267 977 894 3,138 
			  Note: Extract from the 57th annual report to Parliament on smallholdings in England.

Agriculture: Land

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hectares of farmland of best and most valued status in England have changed to a developed use since 1996-97.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	Information is not held centrally on the area of farmland of best and most valued status that has changed to developed use. The Department's Land Use Change Statistics (LUCS) can provide estimates for changes to developed use from all agriculture, in hectares.
	Estimates up to 2006 are available in LUCS Live Table 261
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/xls/1133773.xls

Animal Welfare Act 2006

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to bring forward those provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which are not yet in force; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The following provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 have yet to be brought into force:
	Section 8(3) to (6) on recordings of animal fights;
	Schedule 3 in so far as it relates to the repeal of Section 2 of the Pet Animals Act 1951 (which makes it an offence to sell a pet in the street);
	Schedule 4 in so far as it relates to the repeal of Section 2 of the Pet Animals Act 1951 and the repeal of Sections 37 to 39 (which provides that Ministers may make orders relating to the transport and export of animals) and paragraph 8 of Schedule 5 (Consequential Amendments) of the Animal Health Act 1981.
	There is no timetable in place for the commencement of these provisions.

Animals: Clones

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) cloned animals and  (b) offspring of cloned animals there are in England.

Jane Kennedy: All cloning of animals for research, medical or agricultural purposes in the UK must be approved by the Home Office under the strict controls of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
	This information is not collated by DEFRA.

Badgers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria are used to assess applications for removal licences in respect of badgers.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 includes provision for licences to be issued for specific listed purposes. Licences are issued only where it is demonstrated that three conditions are met:
	a licence is required (i.e. badgers or their setts are causing or likely to cause a serious problem or are preventing legitimate operations);
	there is no alternative to issuing a licence (i.e. other methods have been shown to be ineffective or impractical and not just difficult to implement); and
	the activity to be licensed is likely to resolve or contribute to resolving the matter for which it has been issued.

Badgers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how long on average elapsed between the end of the badger winter hibernation season and the commencement of approved work to remove badgers from unsuitable situations in the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Badgers do not hibernate as such but the licensing approach is attuned to sensitive periods such as the breeding season. Natural England, as the licensing authority, does not however record the time elapsed between the end of the badger breeding season and the commencement of licensed action.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date the decision was made to reduce the cost of bluetongue vaccine to livestock holders; and what the reasons for the decision were.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA announced on 7 May that remaining bluetongue vaccine stocks will be discounted by 50 per cent.
	Reduced uptake during 2009 may leave the national herd and flock vulnerable to further incursions of BTV-8. The Government hold unused stocks which are reaching their expiry dates, leaving the tax payer with a potential liability of £3.3 million if unsold.
	The decision to cut the price of Government-owned vaccine has not been taken lightly. The situation is now very different to early 2008, when Government-owned vaccine was the only product available to protect livestock from BTV-8. Government-owned surplus is now competing against vaccines available on the open market, and the pricing is extremely competitive. There is also a need to remove Government-owned stock from the supply chain to allow the market place to operate as normally as possible.
	A number of options were investigated and after careful consideration with industry and veterinary stakeholders on the Bluetongue Core Group, we decided that dropping the price of the vaccine was the best approach in order to mitigate financial losses to the taxpayer and reduce vaccine wastage.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the transmission of bovine tuberculosis to (i) pigs and (ii) domestic animals from wildlife.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has not commissioned any research into the spread of bovine TB from wildlife to pigs and other domestic animals. However, DEFRA has been funding passive surveillance in domestic and zoo animal species for several years. This consists of a free post-mortem and culture service for suspect cases of TB provided by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency.
	The principal species affected by bovine TB in Great Britain are cattle and badgers. While small numbers of companion animal species and many wild animal species have been shown to be infected with bovine TB, most are spillover hosts. There is some indirect evidence of transmission from spillover hosts though it is uncertain how often this is occurring.
	TB is not normally considered to be particularly contagious amongst pigs or to spread easily from pigs to other animals. In most cases, the disease is self-limiting and no extensive TB control measures are required. We are, however, likely to continue to observe sporadic incidents of porcine TB due to M. bovis on farms where pigs and cattle are co-located and in outdoor breeding-fattening units in the south-west of England and west midlands.
	Even in areas where TB in cattle and badgers is quite common, not all badgers or family groups will be infected. Even in areas of high TB incidence in cattle and badgers, TB in domestic animals is rare.

Cattle: Mastitis

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of mastitis in dairy cattle to the dairy industry in each of the last three years; how many cases of mastitis there were in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Mastitis is not a notifiable disease hence reporting of mastitis diagnoses is voluntary. The levels of endemic diseases, such as mastitis in the cattle population of Great Britain (GB) are monitored through the DEFRA-funded Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (VLA) Endemic Disease Surveillance Programme. This is performed by analysis of test results from clinical diagnostic samples (usually milk samples in the case of mastitis cases) submitted by veterinary surgeons to the VLA regional laboratories and to the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) disease surveillance centres for investigation.
	The VLA surveillance provides information on the causes of mastitis and their trends. The relative proportions of GB mastitis diagnoses attributed to a specific pathogen are monitored—results for 2008 are shown in the following table. The proportions of infection were similar for recent years.
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Staphylococcus aureus 15 
			 Streptococcus uberis 23 
			 Streptococcus dysgalactiae 6 
			 Streptococcus agalactiae 1 
			 Escherichia coli 18 
			 Other organism(s) 20 
			 No microbial growth 5 
			 Sample contamination 12 
			  Source:  GB Surveillance Cattle Diseases Quarterly Report October to December 2008. 
		
	
	The data available shows the mastitis pathogens isolated as a result of veterinarians submitting samples to these government laboratories and therefore do not provide an unbiased or comprehensive estimate of the occurrence of the condition in GB. The VLA is not contracted to determine the cost of mastitis to the dairy industry and cost cannot be determined from this data.
	The control of endemic diseases such as mastitis, that mainly affect the health and productivity of individual cattle herds, are primarily the responsibility of the owner and his veterinary surgeon. Industry milk recording organisations provide recording through monitoring of somatic cell counts in milk samples, which gives an indication of the presence of mastitis when somatic cell counts are elevated. DairyCo is the relevant levy-funded industry body with responsibility for promotion of the dairy industry and they keep national data on milk recording results.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to my earlier reply given to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central (Jenny Willott) on 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 506W.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect on the management of bio-waste in the European Union on household waste collections in England of implementation of the proposals in the European Commission's Green Paper.

Jane Kennedy: The European Commission's Green Paper explores a wide range of options in relation to the management of bio-waste in the EU, but contains no firm proposals. Therefore the Government have made no assessment.
	The Commission will undertake a formal impact analysis of possible policy or legislative proposals later this year. The Government do not expect any firm proposals before 2010.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1302W, on domestic waste: waste disposal, what the volume of waste for recycling collected from doorsteps was as a proportion of the total volume of waste collected from doorsteps in each local authority area in the latest period for which information is available.

Jane Kennedy: A table showing waste collected for recycling and reuse from kerbsides as a percentage of total household waste collected as part of the ordinary waste collection service has been placed in the house Library. The table provides figures for each English local authority for the financial year 2007-08.

Floods: Property Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what data the Environment Agency obtains about proposed developments to assess the implications of flood risk.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency is a consultee in the planning process. The data the Environment Agency receives about proposed development from local planning authorities includes its location and nature and assessments of flood risk. This should demonstrate that the type of development is appropriate for that location and will be safe from flooding over its lifetime, while not increasing flood risk to others.

Fly Tipping

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend, the Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 99W, on fly-tipping, if he will place in the Library a copy of the CD-ROM being distributed to local authorities.

Jane Kennedy: The CD-ROM has not yet been distributed to local authorities, as some additions are currently being made to the content. A copy will be placed in the Library as soon as it is published, which will be shortly.

Fly Tipping

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in each local authority area in London in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many enforcement actions relating to fly-tipping have been taken in each local authority area in London in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many prosecutions for fly-tipping offences in each local authority area in London have been brought in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: I am placing information in the Library of the House on the number of incidents of fly-tipping, the number of prosecutions taken against fly-tippers and the number of other enforcement actions relating to the prevention of fly-tipping reported as being taken in each local authority in London in each of the last four years. Data on fly-tipping in 2008-09 will be published later this year.
	Other enforcement actions that can be taken against suspected fly-tippers and to prevent incidents are investigations, warning letters, statutory notices, fixed penalty notices, duty of care inspections, stop and searches, formal cautions and injunctions. From 2009-10, data will also be collected on the number of vehicles seized from those suspected of involvement in fly-tipping.

Food: VAT

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent  (a) representations he has received on and  (b) assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of value added tax on non-fresh food products in shops on (i) food prices and (ii) the retail prices index; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: We have not received any recent representations on the introduction of value added tax on non-fresh food products and have made no assessment of the effect of introducing such a tax on food or the retail price index.

Food: Waste Disposal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into the amount of food waste used in ways other than being sent to landfill; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: WRAP will commission a new survey that will aim to capture the amount of the UK's food waste currently going through in-vessel composting and anaerobic digestion facilities. The six-month survey will start at the end of 2009 and is currently planned to end in early 2010.

Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into the effectiveness of local authorities' recycling schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme plans to commission any research into the effectiveness of local authorities' recycling schemes.

Sheep: Lameness

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has provided for research into lameness in sheep in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA recognises the severe effect on farmers of lameness in sheep and has produced an advisory booklet on its control. Over the past three years DEFRA has provided funding for two research projects on this subject with a total expenditure of:
	2006-07: £196,879
	2007-08: £69,891
	2008-09: £17,477.
	One of the two projects was carried out jointly with the Scottish Executive and industry, and the level of expenditure referred to above represents the DEFRA contribution only.
	The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has also funded work on this topic.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has paid to the Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and Sustainable Resource Management since WRAP's establishment.

Jane Kennedy: The only payment the Waste and Resources Action Programme has made to the Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and Sustainable Resource Management is a membership fee of £1,125.

Water Supply

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with South East Water on  (a) its plans to reduce leakage and  (b) its proposal for a reservoir to increase water capacity.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Ofwat sets the water companies targets to reduce their leakage to the Economic Level of Leakage (ELL), the level of leakage at which it would cost more for a water company to further reduce its leakage than to produce water from an alternative source. South East Water has met its leakage targets since 2002 and is currently operating at the ELL. Since 1997, total leakage has been reduced by 30 per cent. in South East Water's area of supply.
	The Secretary of State will shortly be making a decision on how preparation of the water resource management plan, which includes proposals for a reservoir near Ringmer, should proceed. Ministers have not met directly with South East Water to discuss its plan, although officials, especially at the Environment Agency, have done so.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how many current hon. Members have redesignated their main home for the purposes of the additional costs allowance on three or more occasions.

Chris Bryant: It is not possible to provide this information without going through each individual Member's paper records as the information as requested is not held electronically and nomination forms, indicating where a main and second home are located, were only required from 2003 onwards.
	The answer could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members have redesignated their main home for the purposes of the additional costs allowance since 3 July 2008.

Chris Bryant: 10 hon. Members have redesignated which of their homes is their main and which is their second home since 3 July 2008.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members submitted claims for reimbursement of mortgage payments on homes outside London under the additional costs allowance in the last 12 months.

Chris Bryant: 134 Members currently claim costs for homes that are outside London. Of these, 95 have claimed reimbursement of mortgage interest payments.

Members: Allowances

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House into which budget moneys paid back to the Fees Office by hon. Members relating to their expenses and allowances claims are paid.

Chris Bryant: All repayments will be credited to the House of Commons: Members Estimate.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Civil Service Agencies: Employment

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what procedures his Department has in place to monitor compliance by its agencies with procedures on employment matters stipulated by the Civil Service Handbook; and how many cases of  (a) unfair dismissal and  (b) suspension have been upheld against the Youth Justice Agency by employment tribunals in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: There are personnel service agreements between the various agencies and personnel services division which set out the agreed working arrangements on personnel matters. In addition all recommendations for dismissal must be submitted to the establishment officer, DFP, who has responsibility for termination of employment. There have been no cases of  (a) unfair dismissal or  (b) suspension upheld against the Youth Justice Agency by employment tribunals in any of the last three years.

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office's complaints procedure is fully documented on the website at:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/index/complaints.htm
	The procedure covers complaints by telephone or in writing by letter or e-mail.
	The facility to make a complaint via the website is not available.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to (i) all staff and (ii) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Paul Goggins: Non-consolidated performance payments for Northern Ireland Office senior civil servants (SCS) are distributed in line with Cabinet Office guidance. The size of the consolidated performance pot is based on recommendations of the independent senior salaries review body. In 2008, 42 members of the SCS received end of year performance payment totalling £371,200 which is 8.6 per cent. of the pay bill. In line with current economic conditions the SCS non-consolidated performance payment pot for 2008-09 has been frozen.
	Non-consolidated performance payments for staff below the SCS have been awarded to 20 per cent. of staff who are considered to meet the criteria for an award. In 2008, 367 staff received an end year performance payment totalling £292,675 which is 0.54 per cent. of the pay bill. Awards to be made in respect of 2008-09 remain at 0.54 per cent. and are funded within existing pay bill controls, have to be earned each year against pre-determined targets and as such do not add to future pay bill costs. The award of performance payments help drive high performance.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows expenditure on IT training for its staff by the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and Executive NDPBs, in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   IT training (£000) 
			 2004-05 30 
			 2005-06 98 
			 2006-07 113 
			 2007-08 113 
			 2008-09 (1)— 
			 (1 )Not yet available

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Responsibilities

David Kidney: To ask the Prime Minister which  (a) Minister and  (b) civil servant has cross-departmental responsibility for the promotion of sustainable development in respect of public sector procurement policy.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	There are three pillars of sustainable development: environmental; social; and economic.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) has responsibility for the promotion of the environmental elements of sustainable development in departments' procurement activities and the operation of their estates.
	I, as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, have responsibility for all other aspects of Central Government procurement policy, including the promotion of the social and economic elements of sustainable development in departments' procurement activities.
	The Secretary of State for the Environment (Hilary Benn) is responsible for policy on sustainable development in Government and sustainable products. He is also responsible for the sustainability policy underpinning Government's sustainable procurement commitments, with input from procurement experts in the Office of Government Commerce and other relevant organisations.
	The Chief Sustainability and Operating Officer (William Jordan) is the civil servant responsible for working with Departments to ensure that the Government's sustainable operations on the Government Estate targets are met and that its sustainable procurement action plan is implemented. He reports to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Cabinet Office on his work.
	The Chief Executive of OGC (Nigel Smith) is the civil servant responsible for all other aspects of Central Government procurement (including the promotion of social and economic elements of sustainable development). He reports to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.
	Within central Government Departments, from 2008-09 all Permanent Secretaries' responsibility for improving sustainability has been highlighted in their personal objectives.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Ann McKechin: Complaints to the Scotland Office, where they cannot be resolved immediately, whether face-to-face or on the telephone or in writing, are allocated to a senior member of staff. Their responsibility is to investigate and provide a full reply in writing within 10 days of receipt of the complaint. Where it proves impossible to provide a full reply within 10 days, an interim reply is sent explaining the need for more time and indicating when the full reply will be sent. Details of the complaints procedure will shortly be posted on the Scotland Office's internet site, which is currently in the process of being updated.

Departmental Drinking Water

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on bottled water in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office spent the following on bottled water, for water coolers in its premises in London and Edinburgh:
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			 2003-04 2,382 
			 2004-05 2,418 
			 2005-06 1,879 
			 2006-07 2,451 
			 2007-08 2,880 
		
	
	These figures do not include any bottles of water that may have been supplied for ministerial hospitality events, as they would have been subsumed within suppliers' overall invoices and not recorded separately.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on furniture in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The combined Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate-General expenditure on furniture for departmental buildings in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			 2003-04 4,454 
			 2004-05 25,096 
			 2005-06 16,995 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 2,384

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on the maintenance of its website in each year since 1997.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office only came in to existence on 1 July 1999. We do not hold a separate record of the cost of maintaining the Scotland Office website for the period 1999 to 2007.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 November 2008,  Official Report, column 471W, to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) for the latest period for which figures are available.

Departmental Older Workers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff over the age of  (a) 55 and  (b) 65 years of age are employed by his Department.

Ann McKechin: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice who hold individual staff personnel records, including details such as dates of birth. The Office does not maintain a central record of dates of birth of staff.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to  (a) all staff and  (b) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Ann McKechin: All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice. Staff may be eligible for end of year performance bonuses under their parent Department's performance management arrangements. The Scotland Office does not itself make the end of year awards and does not hold information centrally on end of year bonus payments made to its secondees.

Departmental Responsibilities

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the operation of the concordats between the Government and the Scottish Executive.

Ann McKechin: The Government have been leading work to review the working arrangements with the devolved Administrations. We are close to finalising an updated version of the memorandum of understanding which governs the relationship between the UK Government and the three devolved administrations.

Departmental Stationery

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has incurred no costs on branded stationery and gifts for internal or external promotional use in the last five years.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not hold information in the form requested. The staff in the office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice, both of whom provide free access to training and development opportunities, including a range of IT training specific to the software used.

Industrial Health and Safety

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on health and safety training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not hold information in the form requested. The staff in the Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice, both of whom provide free access to training and development opportunities, including a range of health and safety events.

Isle of Lewis

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many visits he has made to the Isle of Lewis in an official capacity in the last 24 months.

Jim Murphy: My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, North the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, (Ann McKechin) visited the Isle of Lewis on the 7 and 8 May 2009 and I intend to visit next month.

Olympic Games 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on Scotland's role in hosting events and facilities associated with the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend has not had any recent discussions with the First Minister. Earlier this month I met the Minister for the Olympics on her visit to Glasgow and discussed Scotland's role in hosting events, during our visit at Scotstoun Leisure Centre and National Badminton Centre, which has been listed as one of the 30 facilities in Scotland as potential pre-Games training camps.

Sheep

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sheep farms in Scotland he has visited in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Jim Murphy: I have not visited a sheep farm in Scotland in my official capacity.

Whisky

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had at EU level on the future prospects for the whisky industry.

Jim Murphy: DEFRA Ministers represent the UK Government in EU discussions on the whisky industry. I and my officials continue to have regular discussions with DEFRA and with the Scotch Whisky Association on issues affecting the Scotch Whisky industry.
	As part of my recent trade mission to China, I visited the Edrington Group HQ in Shanghai and made representations to the Chinese Government on the importance of their taking steps to deal with counterfeit Scotch Whisky.

Whisky

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many whisky distilleries in Scotland he has visited in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Jim Murphy: My predecessor, the right hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Des Browne) visited the Isle of Arran distillery in August. I met with Gavin Hewitt of the Scotch Whisky Association in November and my predecessor met with Mr. Hewitt in September. In December I hosted and spoke at a Scotch Whisky Association reception at the Scotland Office. I will be visiting a distillery with the Scotch Whisky Association in June. On a trade mission to China in March I visited Edrington Group, a Scottish international premium spirits company. I am currently in discussions with Diageo and will be visiting one of their distilleries in the near future.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the mission statement for employees of his Department in Afghanistan is.

Bill Rammell: The Mission of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) South Asia and Afghanistan Directorate is to promote the national interests of the UK in South Asia, to contribute to regional stability and the FCO's strategic priorities, managing an effective network of posts in the region.
	The specific mission of the Afghanistan Group within the wider directorate is to help Afghanistan achieve stability, security, prosperity, to the benefit of the Afghan people, the UK and the world community.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 17-19WS, on conflict resources 2009-10, under the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, what the original planned total allocation was for  (a) South Asia, including Afghanistan,  (b) Africa,  (c) Europe and  (d) the Middle East; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK's total available conflict resource for FY 2009-10 (leaving aside the cost of UK military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq) is £627 million, compared with the original planned total allocation of £556 million.
	As set out in the written ministerial statement of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, column 17WS, £456 million will be set aside for assessed peacekeeping activity, leaving £171 million to fund all conflict prevention, stabilisation and discretionary peacekeeping activity.
	Individual country/regional allocations were not set out in the comprehensive spending review. These were agreed after an annual tri-departmental (Department for International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence) review of planned activity across all three funds.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not incurred any expenditure to date on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations (2007/991).
	A registered inspector was booked to carry out the inspections on 15 May 2009. The costs will be covered in the FCO's overarching facilities management contract, at no further cost to the Department.

Departmental Art Works

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 188-89W, on departmental art works, in which of the official residences used by his Department each of the works of art mentioned is.

Gillian Merron: All of the Government art collection works listed in my previous answer are located in Flat 2, Admiralty House.

Departmental Billing

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the names and addresses are of each organisation which has supplied goods and services to his Department in 2009.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge) on 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 387W.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: 19 members of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff have been dismissed for inefficiency (which covers failure of sick absence procedures and poor performance) and eight members of FCO Services (FCOS) staff have been dismissed for under-performance.
	43 members of FCO staff have been dismissed since 2004 and 24 members of FCOS staff have been dismissed in total over the last 10 years.

Departmental Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes to services provided by his Department he anticipates following the efficiency savings outlined in the Budget Red Book 2009.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will deliver the government target for comprehensive spending review (CSR) value for money savings (CSR07) and the additional savings allocated for 2010-11 whilst continuing to provide a global network for the Government overseas. We will continue to deliver on FCO priorities including our departmental strategic objectives (DSOs), public service agreements (PSAs) and the long-term international challenges facing the UK as outlined in the FCO's Strategic Framework.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has taken an active role in the Greening Government Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strategy by providing a detailed plan for the FCO. The plan includes the baseline of the FCO's current carbon footprint and a number of initiatives that cover the full life-cycle of our ICT, including how we procure, operate and dispose of equipment. We are also looking at how use of ICT will enable savings outside of ICT itself through videoconferencing and collaboration initiatives that reduce the need for travel. This process is integrated into our ICT strategy.

Departmental Official Cars

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidelines his Department has in place on the procurement of cars for official use  (a) in the UK,  (b) in UK Overseas Territories and  (c) at diplomatic posts overseas.

Gillian Merron: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) guidance for the procurement of cars for official use in the UK, in UK Overseas Territories and at diplomatic posts overseas is as follows:
	 Purchasing flag vehicles
	Procurement of vehicles for the FCO is based on achieving value for money and in a manner which conforms to appropriate UK regulations and EU directives. Where they are readily available and represent value for money, we prefer the FCO in the UK and British missions abroad to buy British cars.
	Currently the FCO's preferred supplier for flag vehicles is Jaguar for saloon cars, and Land or Range Rover where four wheel drive capability is essential. The FCO maintains central contracts with these companies, negotiated to ensure value for money. In general flag vehicles will be on a par with the vehicles allocated to Government Ministers in London. The particular model allocated to individual posts will reflect local circumstances.
	Posts which consider that there are overriding reasons not to purchase flag cars manufactured by our preferred suppliers, have to submit a detailed case for ministerial approval in London.
	 Purchasing pool vehicles
	Posts have delegated authority to purchase pool vehicles within agreed costs for vehicle purchase. Decisions taken under this delegation have to meet value for money criteria and must always include examination of the option to buy suitable vehicles available under the central contracts referred to above.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on  (a) conference services and  (b) banqueting services in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) operates through a network of overseas posts and directorates in London who may independently contract conference and banqueting services. The information requested therefore is not held centrally by the FCO and to obtain it for the last five years would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many work placements his Department offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Human Resources Directorate offered the following numbers of work placements:
	
		
			  Number 
			   School Pupils  University Students  Graduates 
			 2008 10 45 10 
			 2007 10 35 20 
			 2006 10 34 20 
		
	
	These figures do not include ad-hoc placements organised by individual directorates.
	To collect this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	Our records before 2006 are incomplete and as a result we do not hold information on the educational status of individuals to whom we offered work placements in 2005 and 2004. From 1999 to 2008, FCO Services, a trading fund of the FCO, participated in the Equal Choices Schools Initiative programme. They take 16 children annually from ethnic minority backgrounds, who spend two days gaining an insight into their work.
	All individuals undertaking work experience at FCO Services were in full-time education.

France

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on international security with the French government.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular in-depth discussions with the French Government on international security issues. Most recently, at the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the European Union on 18 May 2009, he had a wide-ranging discussion with French and other European counterparts.

G20: Greater London

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who he expects to participate in the G20 summit in London in March 2009; what gifts each participant will receive; what the cost of each such gift is; how much is being spent on  (a) catering and  (b) catering facilities; if he will place in the Library a copy of the menu for each official dinner during the summit; how much is being spent per person at each dinner; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: All of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's counterparts who were invited participated in the G20 summit in London on 2 April 2009. These were as follows:
	Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President, Argentina
	Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister, Australia
	Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President, Brazil
	Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, Canada
	Hu Jintao, President, China
	Nicolas Sarkozy, President, France
	Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany
	Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India
	Susilo Bambang, President, Indonesia
	Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister, Italy
	Taro Aso, Prime Minister, Japan
	Lee Myung-Bak, President, Republic of Korea
	Felipe Calderón, President, Mexico
	Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister, The Netherlands
	Dmitry Medvedev, President, Russia
	HRH King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, Saudi Arabia
	Kgalema Motlanthe, President, South Africa
	José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister, Spain
	Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister, Turkey
	Barack Obama, President, United States of America
	Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand, Chair of ASEAN
	Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek of the Czech Republic, EU Presidency
	José Manual Barroso, President, European Commission
	Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, Chair of NEPAD
	Mario Draghi, Head of Financial Stability Forum
	Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director, IMF
	Yousseff Boutros-Ghali, Chair of IMFC
	Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
	Robert B. Zoellick, President, World Bank Group
	Pascal Lammy, Director General, World Trade Organisation.
	Gifts were only given to heads of delegations and their spouses. These were hampers of British products. The total amount spent for all gifts was £3,566.23.
	At present we are unable to provide a final figure for the costs of the catering for the summit, but hope to be able to publish those figures in the coming weeks along with the total costs of the London summit.
	Copies of the menus for each official dinner will be placed in the Library of the House.

Germany

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on international security with the German Government.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular in-depth discussions with the German Government on international security issues. Most recently, at the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the European Union on 18 May 2009, he had a wide-ranging discussion with German and other European counterparts.

Israel: Anniversaries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what events held in Israel to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv HM Ambassador to Israel he has been invited; what such invitations the Ambassador has  (a) accepted and  (b) declined; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Our ambassador has received several invitations to attend events relating to the 100th anniversary of Tel Aviv. So far he has been able to attend the opening of "The British Season", a specially created programme of film and music events by the British Council designed to mark the anniversary; a reception in the Sarona gardens organised by Tel Aviv Municipality; and the dedication of a school for children with neurological difficulties built with the assistance of the UK Friends of the Tel Aviv Foundation.

Israel: Anniversaries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what events held in  (a) the UK and  (b) Israel to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel he has been invited; what such invitations he has (i) accepted and (ii) declined; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary accepted an invitation to deliver a speech on 5 May 2009 at an event hosted by the Israeli embassy in London to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.

Israel: Anniversaries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what events held in  (a) the UK and  (b) Israel to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel the Prime Minister has been invited; what such invitations he has (i) accepted and (ii) declined; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister did not attend any events commemorating the 61st anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. However, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary attended an event hosted by the Israeli embassy in London on 5 May 2009 where he delivered a speech.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the alleged take-over by Hamas of a ward in Shifa Hospital, Gaza, and its use by Hamas as a command and control centre; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of reports of Hamas representatives operating out of Shifa hospital during the recent conflict. We condemn any use of hospitals for non-medical purposes that could endanger the patients and staff. The UK continues to regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation and to call for it to renounce all violence, recognise Israel and adhere to previous agreements with the Palestinians.

Middle East: Diplomatic Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers and  (c) officials in his Department have had with Arab governments on (i) economic and (ii) diplomatic relations between Arab governments and the State of Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We believe that the Arab peace initiative (API) provides the best path towards achieving normal economic and diplomatic relations between Arab Governments and the state of Israel. The API offers full normalisation of relations with Israel in exchange for withdrawal from occupied land. We frequently emphasise the importance of the API, including in discussions with Israel and Arab Governments; my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did so in his UN Security Council intervention on 11 May 2009.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration on the military and political situation in Pakistan.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last discussed the situation in Pakistan with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 12 May 2009. We shared our concerns about the threat violent extremism poses to the Pakistani state. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also continue to hold frequent discussions about the situation in Pakistan with a wide range of US officials.

Somalia: Piracy

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the effect of payments of ransom money following pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden on the activities of  (a) Islamic militants in Somalia and  (b) terrorist groups in the region; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We are aware that the majority of pirates operating off the coast of Somalia organise their activities in the Puntland region. However, we do not have the capabilities within Somalia to monitor the movement of ransom monies around Somalia.

Somalia: Piracy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Somalia on the number of piracy incidents in the Gulf of Aden in recent months.

Gillian Merron: Piracy has been discussed in many meetings with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia. In addition to regular meetings between officials at our high commission in Nairobi and representatives of the TFG, my noble Friends the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN (The Lord Malloch-Brown), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, (The Lord West of Spithead), and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Lewis) all discussed piracy with the Somali Deputy Prime Minister, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, during his visit to the UK on 20 April 2009. Sharif Hassan confirmed the TFG is committed to helping tackle this issue.

Somalia: Piracy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects of poverty in the region on numbers of acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 11 May 2009
	Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Coast of Somalia is a symptom of the ongoing instability and lack of economic opportunities in the horn of Africa. Although the security situation makes it difficult to access the region to conduct a full assessment, it is likely that poverty in rural communities in Puntland is one of several contributing factors.
	The UK is taking a leading role in the international response to piracy by offering the Operation HQ and Commander for the EU's Counter Piracy operation. We also chair a working group looking to enhance regional co-operation and co-ordination. This working group is also looking to highlight regional capacity-building requirements that will aim to address the longer term causes of piracy.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the ability of the transitional government in Somalia to provide for its citizens.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 11 May 2009
	The Transitional Federal Government have stated that its priorities are reconciliation, security and the development of governmental institutions. Given Somalia's recent history, it faces considerable challenges. However, it is receiving international support and has produced an initial three-month budget, which harnesses port revenue to enable the re-establishment of key Ministries in Mogadishu to take its priorities forward.

Tibet: Human Rights

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 807-08W, on Tibet: human rights, what reports he has received on the compliance with international standards of the trials of individuals arrested in connection with the disturbances in Tibet in March 2008.

Bill Rammell: We have received a number of reports from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) stating that the trials of those connected with the disturbances in Tibet in March 2008 were not compliant with international standards, and that the evidence against the individuals concerned was unsound and the convictions therefore unsafe. We have consistently expressed our concern at the need for proper due process for all those detained, and our belief that any trials should be conducted justly, fairly and transparently. The fact that independent observers were not allowed at these trials means that we have been unable to verify that the human rights of the defendants were respected, and that the trials were free from political interference. This, together with the reports from NGOs, does give us real cause for concern, as does the verdict of the death penalty, to which the UK is opposed in principle. As a consequence, and working closely with our EU counterparts, we are urging the Chinese authorities not to carry out the sentences imposed on those convicted. I made these points in similar terms in my written response to Free Tibet and the Tibet Society at the beginning of May.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 634W, on trade unions, what office facilities his Department provides for the exclusive use of each recognised trade union; and what the notional annual value of such provision is.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides each recognised trade union representative with their own furnished office, networked computer with e-mail/internet access and a telephone. Trade union representatives have shared access to photocopiers, duplicating and printing services, file storage and fax machines. The FCO meets day-to-day running costs within the rules of public expenditure set out in FCO guidance. Such costs include: rents; building maintenance; stationery; office and IT equipment; telephone charges; official travel; security; corporate overheads; capital charges and depreciation.
	Based on full economic cost figures (calculated in line with HM Treasury requirements) for the 2008-09 financial year, the notional annual value of this provision for each recognised trade union is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Public and Commercial Services Union (2 officers) 80,900 
			 The Diplomatic Service Association (DSA) (1 officer) 40,450 
			 Prospect (1 officer) 40,450 
		
	
	In addition to trade union representatives, the FCO provides four full-time support posts in London for Trade Union Secretariat (TUS) work. These posts are held by members of FCO staff who are elected to their respective roles (with the exception of the TUS registry post which is filled using the normal FCO appointment process). Based on FY2008-09 figures, the total notional value of the Trade Union Secretariat posts is £161,800.
	These arrangements comply with the facilities agreement between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the trade unions which undertakes to:
	"provide such resources as are reasonably necessary to enable Trade Union representatives to carry out their duties efficiently."

UN World Conference against Racism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of persons who walked out during the speech of the Iranian President at the UN Durban 2 anti-racism conference; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Government are aware that all EU delegations who attended the Durban review conference, and the representative of St. Kitts and Nevis, left the hall when the Iranian President made comments deemed to be offensive. A number of non-governmental organisation delegates also left the hall. Many delegates, including the UK's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, subsequently condemned the Iranian President's remarks.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary issued a ministerial statement on the Durban review conference on 28 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 41-42WS.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to have discussions with the President of South Africa on the political and human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary currently has no planned meetings with President elect Zuma to discuss Zimbabwe, although Zimbabwe will certainly be among the issues which Ministers will wish to discuss with the incoming South African Administration over the coming weeks. South Africa remains key to the power-sharing agreement, brokered by the Southern African Development Community.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Gurkhas

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps her Department has taken to reformulate its policy on settlement rights for Gurkhas.

Phil Woolas: Following the debate on 29 April, the date for determining outstanding applications was brought forward to the end of May.
	Based on this work, and recognising the strong feeling of the House, we will come forward with proposals for the next stage of our reform of the rules before the summer recess.

Gurkhas

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on the settlement rights of Gurkhas of the implementation of the points-based immigration system.

Phil Woolas: The settlement rights of Gurkhas are entirely separate from the routes to enter the United Kingdom through the points-based system.
	It will therefore have no effect on the implementation of the points-based immigration system.

DNA Database

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the compatibility of her proposal on retention of the DNA profiles of persons arrested but not convicted with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.

Vernon Coaker: Our proposals, set out in the public consultation paper "Keeping the Right People on the DNA database" published on 7 May 2009, were drawn up against the background of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the S and Marper case. They aim to implement the judgment in a way which continues to protect the public while safeguarding the rights of the individual.

DNA Database

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of crimes detected using DNA profiles held on the national DNA database in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: In 2007-08, 33,034 crimes were detected in which a DNA match was available or played a part in solving the crime. They included 83 homicides and 184 rapes. Figures for the 2008-09 financial year will be available shortly.

Identity Cards

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of progress on the introduction of identity cards.

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent assessment is of progress on the introduction of identity cards.

Phil Woolas: Progress is well on track with identity cards for foreign nationals being introduced from November 2008 and identity cards being rolled out from autumn 2009 to British citizens resident in Manchester and also to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.

Front-line Policing

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the proportion of police officers' time spent on front-line policing.

Vernon Coaker: We estimate that at the end of March 2008, 64.9 per cent. of police officer time was spent on front-line duties. This information is no longer collected by the Home Office as part of work to reduce bureaucracy.
	Having delivered the funding for record numbers in the work force it is important that the police service make the best possible use of their work force's time. The effective deployment of officers and staff will enable them to be in the right place at the right time to deliver for the public when they most need the police's help.

Nazi War Crimes

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of UK residents who are suspected of having committed war crimes under the Nazi regime.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office does not collate figures on the total numbers in the UK who are suspected of these crimes.
	Any allegations received concerning crimes under the Nazi regime are referred to the Metropolitan police for investigation.

Antisocial Behaviour: Swindon

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour in Swindon.

Alan Campbell: We have given practitioners the tools and powers they need to do their job effectively. When I visited Swindon recently I met the local partnership including police and the local authority to both support and challenge them to do more to make communities across Wiltshire safer.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of progress in implementing the provisions of the Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings.

Alan Campbell: I am pleased to say that the convention entered into force in the UK on 1 April this year. A Home Office-led multi agency task force has been established to monitor its implementation and will report later this year.

Public Confidence: Police

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by police forces to increase public confidence in the police.

Vernon Coaker: Through the single confidence target, we expect the police, working with partners, to significantly increase public confidence that the issues that matter locally are being addressed. We will regularly monitor the performance of all forces and authorities against this target. HMIC will also consider the steps forces have taken to increase confidence.

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the planned programme of work is of the  (a) Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and  (b) Technical Committee of the ACMD for the next 12 months.

Alan Campbell: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), as an independent advisory body sets it own programme of work responding to both to requests for advice from the Home Office and other Government Departments and conducts work of its own choosing. However, the ACMD has indicated to the Home Department that in the coming 12 months they will be conducting work in the areas of 'legal highs' (including 'Spice'), cognitive enhancers, poly-drug use, treatment effectiveness and development of an early warning system to provide timely information to Ministers of emerging/new drugs and associated risks.
	 (b) The ACMD Technical Committee supports the work of the ACMD. Therefore, the Home Department understand that its primary work will be supporting the working groups to address the areas identified above. The work of the ACMD Technical Committee will also include responses to priority requests for advice from Government Departments and considering issues of their own volition.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) imposed and  (b) breached in each police force area in Wales in each year since they were introduced.

Alan Campbell: The latest available information on the number of ASBOs issued and breached in Wales goes up to 31 December 2006. The available information is shown in the following tables. The first table shows the number of orders issued (by year and by area) and the second the number of orders breached in each year by area. It is important to note, however, that an ASBO can be issued in one Criminal Justice System (CJS) area and breached in another. Therefore the two tables are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1P: Number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by CJS area and year, April 1999 to December 2006 
			  CJS area  Total issued  April 1999 to May 2000  June to December 2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Dyfed Powys 43 — — — — 12 8 
			 Gwent 121 — — 2 2 8 27 
			 North Wales 255 — 1 — 7 15 42 
			 South Wales 201 — 1 4 3 29 46 
			 Total Wales 620 — 2 6 12 64 123 
		
	
	
		
			   2005  2006 
			  CJS area  January to March  April to June  July to September  October to December  Total  January to March  April to June  July to September  October to December  Total 
			 Dyfed Powys 1 2 5 7 15 6 1 — 1 8 
			 Gwent 7 14 7 5 33 15 9 10 15 49 
			 North Wales 23 31 29 20 103 25 17 20 25 87 
			 South Wales 15 15 18 16 64 19 16 10 9 54 
			 Total Wales 46 62 59 48 215 65 43 40 50 198 
			  Notes: 1. Previously issued data have been revised. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  3. Prepared by OCJR. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 7: ASBOs proven in court to have been breached for the first time within the periods shown( 1)  by CJS area( 2)  from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2006 
			  CJS area  2000 - 02( 3)  2003  2004  2005 6  2006  Total 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 5 5 6 10 26 
			 Gwent 3 2 16 24 17 62 
			 North Wales 3 7 12 50 51 123 
			 South Wales 4 11 12 29 30 86 
			 Total Wales 10 25 45 109 108 297 
			 (1) ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table ASBOs are counted once only within the period when they were first breached. (2 )ASBOs may be issued in one area and breached in another. Breaches are counted in this table by area of issue. (3 )From 1 June 2000.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  OCJR Court Proceedings Database.

Asylum

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to increase the speed with which asylum applications are handled.

Phil Woolas: We are succeeding in our goal of handling applications faster than ever before.
	60 per cent. of new cases were concluded within six months by the end of last year. We are committed to conclude 90 per cent. of new asylum cases within six months by 2011.

Carnage UK

Betty Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the activities of Carnage UK.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has received no formal representations on the activities of Carnage UK.

Community Relations

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on  (a) the long-term aims and  (b) the involvement of the Muslim community in the implementation of the revised Contest strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 11 May 2009
	Discussions were held with all Government Departments involved in countering terrorism. The long-term aim of the Contest strategy is to reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from international terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence. All communities continue to play a role in helping to ensure the success of the strategy by rejecting violent extremism and challenging it. Strong and empowered communities are better equipped to effectively reject the ideology of violent extremism, isolate apologists for terrorism and provide support to vulnerable individuals and institutions.

Crime and Disorder Partnerships

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with police commanders on the effectiveness of local crime and disorder partnerships.

Vernon Coaker: Significant reductions in crime since 1997 have been delivered by local agencies working together in Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and Community Safety Partnerships. Last week the Home Secretary met local partners from across the country, including the ACPO partnership lead, to discuss the role of effective partnerships in increasing public confidence.

Crime Prevention

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure under what budgetary headings was incurred by her Department in relation to the Crime Prevention Summit held on 4 February 2009; and what topics were discussed at the summit.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office incurred £328.76 from the programme budget in relation to the Real Help in Hard Times crime prevention summit on 4 February. The summit discussed how the Government and partners from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors can best work together to stay on the front foot to keep burglary down and reassure the public in more challenging economic circumstances. The actions identified at the summit were announced as the Securing Homes: Action Against Burglary initiative on 7 April.

Criminal Records: EU Nationals

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protocols her Department has established with each EU member state on monitoring the movement of known criminals.

Alan Campbell: There is no agreement between all member states of the European Union to monitor the movements of known criminals within the EU but the UK does contribute to the Europol Information System (EIS), a database where each member state can input details of any known criminal that it wishes to share with other European States. If a person is wanted in any member state, that country can also issue a European arrest warrant which will ensure that if the person comes to the notice of the law enforcement authorities in any member state they can be arrested and returned to the country that issued the European arrest warrant. In addition, SOCA has been appointed to operate the UK Sirene Bureau which will have access to the European wide Schengen Information System. This contains details of all wanted persons throughout the European Union. It is planned that the Sirene Bureau will go live in 2010.
	The Interpol Notice system also provides a monitoring facility. Green Notices are used to provide warnings and criminal intelligence about persons who have committed criminal offences, and are likely to repeat those offences in other countries. A Green Notice is often issued by the UK for known travelling sex offenders. The Notice system is not limited to Europe and 187 states have access to it.
	The United Kingdom has a Memorandum of Understanding with Ireland to ensure that information is shared between the two countries regarding sex offenders travelling between the two.

Cybercrime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps are required for ratification by the UK of the European Convention on Cybercrime; and when she expects ratification to be completed.

Alan Campbell: The Government are committed to ratifying the Council of Europe cybercrime convention. We are currently working through the formal UK process of ratification, during which we will lay the required explanatory memorandum before Parliament to obtain approval for ratification. If Parliament agrees to ratification, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will then commence the formal ratification process with the Council of Europe.
	The Government hope to complete the parliamentary process by the summer recess and the Council of Europe process within two months of that.

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of profiles of children aged under 10 years-old have been removed from the national DNA database  (a) in total and  (b) in each police force area; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: On 16 December 2008 the Home Secretary announced that all DNA profiles belonging to children aged under 10 would be removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD). All such profiles loaded by England and Wales forces have been removed and the profiles of under 10s are no longer retained on the NDNAD.
	The following table shows the number of profiles of children aged under 10 removed from the NDNAD since 16 December 2008, broken down by police force area.
	
		
			  Profiles of under  10s  removed from the NDNAD since 16 December 2008, broken down by police force area 
			  Force  Total profiles deleted 
			 Avon and Somerset 3 
			 British Transport 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 
			 Cheshire 1 
			 City of London Police 1 
			 Derbyshire 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 
			 Essex 1 
			 Greater Manchester Police 6 
			 Gwent 4 
			 Hampshire 4 
			 Humberside 2 
			 Kent 7 
			 Lancashire 2 
			 Metropolitan Police 11 
			 North Wales 1 
			 North Yorkshire 1 
			 Northamptonshire 1 
			 Northumbria 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 
			 South Wales Constabulary 1 
			 South Yorkshire 11 
			 Staffordshire Police 1 
			 Suffolk 4 
			 Surrey 2 
			 Sussex 5 
			 Warwickshire Police 1 
			 West Mercia 2 
			 West Midlands 1 
			 West Yorkshire 8 
			 Total profiles removed by England and Wales forces since 16 December 2008 98

Gamma Butyrolactone

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the volume of sales of liquid gamma butyrolactone for  (a) illicit and  (b) non-industrial use in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the legal status of liquid gamma butyrolactone in the UK is; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what advice she received from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on the classification of liquid gamma butyrolactone in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 7 May 2009
	Gamma butyrolactone (GBL) is a precursor chemical. It is not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
	The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) provided advice on the classification of GBL in its 2008 report 'GBL & 1,4-BD: Assessment of Risk to the Individual and Communities in the UK'. This advice can be found at:
	http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/acmd/report-on-gbl1?view=Binary
	This advice followed the ACMD's earlier 2007 report on 'Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault' in which the ACMD undertook to provide further advice on GBL This report can be found at:
	http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publicationsearch/acmd/drugfacilitatedsexualassault/ACMDDFSA.pdf?view=Binary
	No advice on GBL was received from the ACMD in either 2006 or in 2009 to date.
	The Government will shortly be publishing a three-month public consultation which brings forward options to control GBL and its like precursor chemical, 1,4-butanediol. Consultation will look to elicit a better understanding of the scale and scope of the availability for misuse of GBL and 1,4- butanediol in the UK.

Immigration

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to make a decision on the immigration case of Mrs Mohinder Kaur.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 27 April 2009
	 The UK Border Agency is currently seeking further information in order to be able to decide this case.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she plans to reply to the letter of 22 December 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Folake Surat Odetunde;
	(2)  when she plans to reply to the letter of 22 December 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, on Folake Surat Odetunde;
	(3)  when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 22 December 2008, regarding Folake Surat Odetunde.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 11 May 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 23 March 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs N. Akhtar.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 6 April 2009.

Passports: Overseas Residence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost is to British nationals resident overseas of renewing their British passports.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is as follows:
	Adult passport: £124
	Child passport: £79.

Police: Bureaucracy

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the current status is of the information reduction pilots in Surrey, Staffordshire, West Midlands and Leicestershire police forces; what assessment has been made of the time each pilot will take to achieve its targets; what analysis has been undertaken of the resultant savings in police officer time; and what plans she has for further roll-out of such schemes;
	(2)  whether the target date set for national roll out of the shortened crime recording and stop and account procedures has been met.

Jacqui Smith: The proportionate crime recording pilots are now complete, and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) expects to complete their evaluation next month. The interim findings have highlighted the potential benefits, with Staffordshire police reporting a reduction of up to 80 per cent. of the time it takes to record 80 per cent. of incidents.
	I announced on 22 December 2008 that, following the pilots, all forces in England and Wales should now be working to replicate these significant savings by streamlining their crime recording processes, and we are supporting forces in their efforts to do so.
	On 1 January 2009 PACE Code A was amended in respect of recording Stop and Account, to remove the requirement to record data other than on ethnicity.

Police: Complaints

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will bring forward proposals to require individual police forces to  (a) accept,  (b) respond to and  (c) implement in full recommendations made by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC); and what (i) representations she has received from and (ii) discussions she has had with (A) police forces, (B) the IPCC and (C) members of the public on this issue;
	(2)  if she will bring forward proposals to monitor the responses of police forces to the findings of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which affect them; what recent discussions she has had with the IPCC on this issue; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will bring forward proposals to require the Independent Police Complaints Commission to inform her Department of the number of recommendations made by the Commission which have been  (a) rejected and  (b) implemented by the police force to which they are addressed; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how long on average police authorities have taken to make a response to recommendations of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in each of the last three years; what recent discussions she has had with  (a) the IPCC and  (b) police authorities on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The information sought is not currently collected or held by the Home Office or the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
	The Public Accounts Committee's 15th report on the Independent Police Complaints Commission published on 31 March 2009, recommended that the Home Office should clarify who is responsible for monitoring the implementation of IPCC recommendations. We are working with the IPCC to take the recommendation forward.

Police: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what practical steps are being taken to align the performance targets of police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service; and what timetable has been set for such changes.

Jacqui Smith: The Home Office no longer sets top down numerical targets for the police (with the exception of a single target to raise public confidence) and local target setting is therefore a matter for local criminal justice boards (LCJBs). The Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), along with other partners, are members of LCJBs which co-ordinate criminal justice planning and activity at the local level. LCJBs are required to agree local targets to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in bringing crime, in particular the most serious acquisitive, sexual and violent offences to justice.

Powers of Entry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Lord West's review of powers of entry will extend to reviewing the existing powers of entry of bailiffs.

Alan Campbell: The review covers powers of entry provided for by statute and aims to establish a framework of powers to ensure that the right balance is achieved between the statutory investigative and enforcement functions of relevant organisations and safeguards and protections for the public. Existing powers of entry and associated provisions and safeguards can be found at:
	http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/powers-pace-codes/powers-of-entry-review/
	The review is expected to report in autumn 2009.
	Details on the role of bailiffs can be found at:
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/DebtsAndArrears/DG_10034289

Racially Aggravated Offences: Young People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many racist incidents involving persons under the age of 18 years were reported to the police in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many reports police forces received of racist incidents in schools in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Ministry of Justice collect and publish statistics of racist incidents by police force area. However, no information is available on the age of either the victim or the alleged offender or on the location of the incident.

Retail Trade: Crime

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department has made towards the introduction of a specific measurement of commercial  (a) robbery and  (b) burglary.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 12 May 2009
	The Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) has been conducted by the Home Office on two occasions—once in 1994 and again in 2002. The Home Office have recently commissioned a study to consider and make recommendations about the coverage and methodology of a further survey of crime against commercial victims. This will report later in the year and inform decisions about the scope of another survey.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency are based overseas.

Alan Campbell: As of 30 April 2009, there were 140 staff employed by the Serious Organised Crime Agency based overseas.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure that detention facilities run by international military forces in Afghanistan meet the standards required under international law in the treatment of women and children.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence can only answer this question in respect of UK run facilities.
	The UK takes its human rights obligations very seriously and has policy and procedures in place regarding the standards within military detention facilities. All our facilities are regularly inspected to ensure that they meet our obligations under international law. The ICRC and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission have access to all the UK's operational detention facilities in Afghanistan.
	When any females or juveniles are detained they are separated from male prisoners and/or adult prisoners, unless they are housed with family members. All persons, especially those under 18 are only detained if absolutely essential and in Afghanistan, detainees are held for a maximum of 96 hours before being released or transferred to the Afghan authorities.

Armed Forces: Aviation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many charter flights to theatres of operation have taken place in each year since 2003, broken down by  (a) location,  (b) type of aircraft and  (c) reason for flight.

Bob Ainsworth: Charter flights to theatres of operation in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 are:
	
		
			  Op Telic IRAQ 
			   Type of Aircraft used  Flights 
			 2003 AN124,A330, B737, B747, B757, B767, DCIO, DC8, IL76, LI0-11, MD11 518 
			 2004 AN124,A330,B747, B757, DC8 89 
			 2005 AN124, A330, B747, DC8 25 
			 2006 A300, AN124, B747, B767, DC10, IL76 212 
			 2007 A300, A310, A330, AN124, B747, B767, DC10, IL76, B737, MD11 786 
			 2008 A300, DC8, AN124, B747, B767, DC10, IL76 737 
			 2009(1) A300, A310, AN124, B757, B767, DC8 186 
			 (1) 1 January to 30 April 
		
	
	
		
			  Op Herrick Afghanistan 
			   Type of Aircraft used  Flights 
			 2003 (1)— (1)— 
			 2004 (1)— (1)— 
			 2005 (1)— (1)— 
			 2006 A300, AN124, B737, B757, DC8, IL76 113 
			 2007 B737,A300,A310,A320, AN124, B757, B767, DC10, IL76 329 
			 2008(2) A300,A319,A321,A330, AN124, B737, B747, B757, B767, DC10,DC8,IL76 516 
			  A300, A321, A330, AN124, B737, B747, B757, B767, DC8, IL76 407 
			 (1) No charter recorded for Op Herrick (2) 1 January to 30 April 
		
	
	All flights are for the carriage of either passengers or freight or a combination of both.

Armed Forces: Aviation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on charter flights to each destination in each theatre of operation in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: The spend on charter flights to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 is:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Theatre of operation  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Iraq 41,350 19,569 17,983 40,186 67,079 53,551 
			 Afghanistan 971 21,555 1,998 29,113 62,594 109,921

Armed Forces: Labour Turnover

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average length of service of personnel opting for voluntary outflow from the armed forces was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on the length of service of armed forces personnel from 2006-07 onwards is currently unavailable since the introduction of the joint personnel administration system.
	The following table provides the average length of service (in years) of personnel who voluntary outflowed from the trained UK Regular Forces in the financial year 2005-06.
	
		
			  Years 
			  Service  Officers  Other ranks 
			 All Services 15.0 9.4 
			 Navy 16.1 10.1 
			 Army 13.2 7.9 
			 RAF 18.5 12.6 
		
	
	UK Regular Forces excludes Gurkhas, full-time reserve personnel and mobilised reservists.

Armed Forces: Labour Turnover

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of servicemen and women leaving the armed forces in each of the last seven years had combat experience.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on servicemen and women leaving the armed forces who had combat experience is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what percentage of force elements have reported  (a) no serious weaknesses,  (b) no critical weaknesses and  (c) no serious or critical weaknesses against required peacetime readiness levels in each of the last four quarters;
	(2)  what percentage of force elements have reported no serious or critical weaknesses against the ability to deploy, sustain and recover force elements at the most demanding level of the Defence Planning Assumptions for contingent operations in each of the last four quarters;
	(3)  what percentage of force elements have reported  (a) no serious weaknesses,  (b) no critical weaknesses and  (c) no serious or critical weaknesses against the ability to move from peacetime readiness to immediate readiness for deployment on operations in each of the last four quarters.

Bob Ainsworth: We have previously sought to measure our ability to bring force elements from their peacetime readiness levels up to the level required to deploy on potential contingent operations at the most demanding scale of effort, known as force generation, and to deploy them on such operations, sustain them there and recover them to their home base thereafter. This system has been predicated on the assumption that, for the most part, the armed forces will be operating below the concurrency level envisaged in defence planning assumptions and that they should therefore be working to maintain their capacity to deploy on potential contingent operations. The longer we have been operating above that concurrency level, the more theoretical this has become. By definition we have consistently, over several years, been successfully generating, deploying, sustaining and recovering force elements above the long term concurrency levels assumed in our long term planning. The metrics we have been using to measure and report our hypothetical capability have consequently provided little or no meaningful management information. We are therefore working to develop a more useful way of measuring and reporting performance in this area for the time when the operational tempo has reduced and the forces structure is recuperated to the point where it is appropriate once more to seek to measure our contingent as opposed to our current capability.
	Statistical reporting against the graduated readiness profiles is published in the MOD public service agreement reports. The most recent report, setting out the Q3 2008-09 position, was published on the MOD website on 5 May 2009 and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/ModPublicService AgreementQuarterReportsapril2008ToMarch2011.htm
	The critical and serious weakness scores, as published, for each of the last four quarters are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   No serious weakness  No critical weakness  No serious or critical weakness 
			 Q4 2007-08 55 92 49 
			 Q1 2008-09 48 92 39 
			 Q2 2008-09 49 92 42 
			 Q3 2008-09 50 93 43

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between experience of combat and evidence of psychological wounding;
	(2)  what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between levels of psychological wounding of service personnel and the number of contacts with the enemy.

Kevan Jones: The Department fully supports the need for high quality research which examines the psychological health of personnel engaged on operational duties. The King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) and Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health website
	www.kcl.ac.uk/kcmhr
	contains links to a wide range of individual research papers. The 2006 KCMHR 10-year report provides a particularly useful summary of research during the first 10 years since its foundation in 1996. These studies examine the psychological health of Armed Forces personnel and veterans including intensity of operations, but there is no specific study of psychological health correlated with number of contacts.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will introduce psychometric screening as part of the service discharge medical examinations for all military personnel.

Kevan Jones: A discharge medical assessment is undertaken 90 days prior to discharge. This detailed examination is undertaken by a doctor and the results are recorded on the individual's F-Med-1 form. This form contains a specific assessment of the mental capacity and emotional stability of the individual. A reassessment is carried out seven days prior to discharge to confirm the record or reflect any further changes.
	A summary of each individual's medical history while in the armed forces, including the results of the discharge medical, is recorded on an F-Med-133 form which is given to the individual to pass on to their civilian GP. The F-Med-133 also contains information on how the GP can gain access to the individual's complete service medical records if required.

Armed Forces: Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what levels of Operational Allowance are payable to troops in  (a) Afghanistan,  (b) Iraq and  (c) each other country in which Operational Allowance is payable.

Bob Ainsworth: The operational allowance is paid at the same rate for all qualifying locations. The allowance amounts to £2,380 for a six month operational tour, equating to £13.08 per day. Operational allowance is paid at a flat rate, recognising that all service personnel serving in the most challenging and dangerous operational circumstances are facing a broadly similar risk. The operational allowance is paid to all service personnel (regular, mobilised reserves and those on full-time reserve service) who are serving in specified operational locations, predominantly Afghanistan, Iraq and Iraqi territorial waters.
	Entitlement is also extended to those undertaking flying sorties over or into Iraq and Afghanistan.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of upgrades to the Panther Command and Liaison vehicle in the last 12 months.

Quentin Davies: The Panther Command and Liaison vehicle has been modified under an urgent operational requirement to a theatre entry standard appropriate for deployment to operations in Afghanistan, at a cost of approximately £20 million.

Ascension Island

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated value is of each of his Department's properties on Ascension Island; and when the last valuation was carried out.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has some 200 individual property assets on Ascension Island recorded on its asset registers ranging from stores to accommodation blocks. Valuations are carried out on a rolling five-year basis based on the depreciated replacement cost of the assets. The last formal valuation of the assets was carried out in 2005-06 and the next will take place during 2010-11.
	The assets on Ascension Island valued at more than £1 million in 2005-06 were disclosed as part of the 2007 National Asset Register which is available on the HM Treasury website, with a total value at that time of £25.7 million.

Clyde Submarine Base

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department plans to change to Faslane the homeport of  (a) HMS Trenchant,  (b) HMS Talent and  (c) HMS Triumph; and when each vessel will have its mid-commission major maintenance period.

Quentin Davies: HMS Trenchant, HMS Talent and HMS Triumph will transfer progressively to HM Naval Base Clyde between 2014 and 2017 upon completion of their mid commission major maintenance periods.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Quentin Davies: Information on interest paid to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 is published in the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts. Payments made in the last three years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 14,709 
			 2006-07 8,603 
			 2007-08 9,956 
		
	
	The information contained in the table does not include those interest payments made by the four MOD Trading Funds. This information is summarised as follows.
	In 2007-08 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) made interest payments totalling £15,783. No interest payments have been recorded for 2005-06 or 2006-07.
	The UK Hydrographic Office does not separately record details of interest paid to suppliers and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Meteorological Office and Defence Support Group have no record of any payments being made to suppliers in the last three years in respect of interest arising under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

Departmental Reviews

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) review and  (b) taskforce projects his Department has commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Department keeps all of its business under regular review. As a result, a wide range of reviews are in hand at any given time. Information on these is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Vehicles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many white fleet contract cars his Department owns;
	(2)  how many civilian vehicles owned by his Department are based at each of its estates.

Quentin Davies: The Ministry of Defence does not own any White Fleet contract cars. We do, however, have two lease agreements in place for the provision of the majority of non-operational cars (White Fleet Vehicles). As at 12 May 2009 there were 8,376 cars leased under the UK and British Forces Germany White Fleet contracts.
	Under the UK White Fleet contract, the number of vehicles (including vans, trailers, minibuses, motorbikes and coaches) based at each of the estates in England, Scotland and Wales is currently 15,228. The breakdown of this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

European Fighter Aircraft

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the through-life running cost per aircraft of the Tranche 3 Eurofighter in each year of operation.

Quentin Davies: This matter is currently the subject of negotiations with our partner nations and industry.

Ex-servicemen

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider the merits of conducting a veterans' population study analysis similar to that undertaken by the US administration following the Vietnam War.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has commissioned a number of studies into veterans' issues and we will continue to do so.

Kenya: Piracy

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what seized property has been transferred to the Kenyan authorities by the EU-led naval force under the Provisions of Transfer of Suspected Pirates and Seized Property published in the Official Journal of the European Union of 25 March 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Operation Atalanta is an EU led operation and the operational detail requested is held by the EU Operation Commander for Atalanta, who reports to EU member states sitting in the Political and Security Committee in Brussels.
	The EU-led naval force (EUNAVFOR), Operation Atalanta, where practicable, has handed over seized property such as skiffs (small boats) and other pirate related paraphernalia such as ladders, buoys and weapons. In some cases the skiffs and weaponry have been destroyed by the detaining ship for navigational and safety of life reasons. All of the incidents in which suspected pirates have been detained by EUNAVFOR are currently being prosecuted by the Kenyan authorities and therefore a more specific answer is not possible without jeopardising the court proceedings.

Land Mines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have been  (a) killed and  (b) injured as a result of landmine detonation in each theatre in each of the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Navy

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 16-18WS, on maritime change programme, when he expects  (a) the Strategic Environmental Assessment and  (b) the Submarine Dismantling Project to be completed.

Quentin Davies: The main element of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) will be completed when the formal public consultation has ended and the MOD has published its response to the consultation findings. This is currently scheduled for spring 2010.
	In accordance with statutory guidance, however, the SEA will not have a formal completion date, as monitoring of significant environmental effects will be ongoing throughout the life of the Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP).
	The SDP is planned to run until circa 2060 when the intermediate level waste from all 27 submarines included in the project has been sent to the proposed National Geological Disposal Facility.

Nimrod Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Nimrod fuel defects have been reported in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: We have interpreted 'fuel defects' to mean fuel leaks. The number of fuel leaks reported on the RAF Nimrod fleet since 2006 are stated in the following table.
	Information on the number of fuel leaks prior to 2006 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Number of fuel leaks 
			 2006 170 
			 2007 (1)278 
			 2008 146 
			 2009 (2)20 
			  Notes: 1. Includes one fuel leak reported since the figure given in the written answer on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 1060-1061W. (2) Up until 31 March, the last full month for which validated data are available. (3) A fuel leak is defined as any leakage of fuel from aircraft couplings, pipes or fuel tanks. (4) These figures do not include fuel leaks which are caused by scheduled maintenance activity, as we disturb the fuel system. In these cases, the leak is both caused and rectified while on the ground.

Pakistan: Military Aid

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much aid was given to Pakistan for military purposes between 1997 and 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD provides military advice and assistance to Pakistan as part of normal security co-operation, as it does with many countries worldwide.

Rosyth Dockyard

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect on Rosyth Dockyard of the implementation of the Maritime Change Programme.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 14 May 2009
	Rosyth dockyard, which is owned and operated by Babcock, currently has a strong order book of MOD work: it is a key location for surface ship upkeep work through the Surface Ship Support Programme and is at the heart of the build programme for the two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.
	As work on the new aircraft carrier programme at Rosyth increases, it is envisaged that deep maintenance surface ship work will be predominately undertaken at Devonport dockyard (which is also owned by Babcock). This is to ensure best use of industry wide resources.

Somalia: Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps is he taking to protect UK-registered vessels in the Gulf of Aden from pirate attacks.

Bob Ainsworth: There has been much collaboration and co-operation between the UK shipping industry, the military and from across Government.
	The UK military is working alongside the shipping industry to provide safe passage of traffic in the Gulf of Aden. International naval forces are expending significant effort on counter-piracy operations, and are playing a role in protecting vulnerable shipping. For instance, the UK-commanded EU naval operation is utilising an internationally recognised transit corridor through the Gulf of Aden. All merchant shipping, including UK-registered vessels, are encouraged to use this route.
	Best practice guidelines have been agreed with industry bodies on speed, self-protection, and registration with the Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa) website. Those ships registered with the website and following best practice have been considerably more successful in evading pirate attacks.
	Moreover, the UK Maritime Trade Office acts as the interface between merchant shipping and the military, and has become the focal point for UK-registered vessels seeking advice and guidance.

Somalia: Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions has he had with the US administration on the activities of pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Bob Ainsworth: We have worked closely with the US in the Gulf region for many years, and continue to do so to tackle piracy. The Combined Maritime Force, which conducts maritime security operations, including counter-piracy and counter-terrorism, is commanded by a US Admiral with a UK Royal Navy deputy.
	In response to the recent increase in pirate activity, we have engaged with the US along military and diplomatic channels in order to develop a comprehensive approach, as part of an international response.
	We also work closely with the US and other parties through the international Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS). As part of this, the UK chaired a separate working group on 7-8 May 2009 to continue discussions on military co-ordination and capability building in the region. The meeting was attended by other members of the CGPCS as well as industry representatives.

TREASURY

Adjudicator's Office

Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints made to the Adjudicator's Office were outstanding on 22 April 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: On 27 April 2009 there were 2,029 complaints yet to be settled.

Banks: Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the administration costs of the Asset Protection Scheme in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Figures for the Treasury's spending in 2008-09 will be available in the Department's resource accounts 2008-09 after the conclusion of the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit.
	The cost of establishing the asset protection scheme will be shared between the banks participating in the scheme.

Banks: Finance

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provision he has made for the repayment of sums paid to support UK banks in each of the next six years.

Ian Pearson: Under the recapitalisation scheme announced on 8 October 2008, the Government have to date invested a total of £37 billion in Lloyds Banking Group (Lloyds) and the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS). There will be further investment alongside their participation in the Asset Protection Scheme.
	The Government's shareholdings in RBS and Lloyds are managed on a commercial basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). UKFI's objective is to protect and create value for the taxpayer as shareholder with due regard to the maintenance of financial stability, and consistent with HM Treasury's stated aim that it should not be a permanent investor in UK financial institutions.

Banks: Iran

William Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to implement the provisions in UN Security Council Resolution 1747 of 2007 on the prevention of new grants, financial assistance and concessional loans to the Government of Iran, other than for humanitarian and developmental purposes.

David Miliband: In line with paragraph seven of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, adopted on 24 March 2007, the Government make available no new grants, financial assistance or concessional loans to the Government of Iran.

Banks: Regulation

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he plans to make to the arrangements for  (a) registration,  (b) supervision and  (c) accountability of credit rating agencies in light of the Turner Report on the regulatory response to the global banking crisis.

Ian Pearson: The Government support registration and supervision of credit rating agencies. The European Commission proposed a regulation of credit rating agencies in November 2008. Following negotiation the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament both adopted the text of the regulation in April 2009, as envisaged by the Turner Review. The regulation is expected to enter into force later this calendar year.

Banks: Regulation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend the regulatory regime applying to the banking sector following the economic downturn.

Angela Eagle: As stated in Budget 2009: Building Britain's future, the Government will issue a paper on renewing financial markets for the long term before the summer recess. This will include proposals to strengthen financial services regulation, and build on the work of the Turner Review as well as action taken at an international level.

Coinage

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pound sterling coins he estimates are in circulation in the United Kingdom.

Ian Pearson: The information requested can be found on the Royal Mint's website at:
	http://www.royalmint.com/Corporate/facts/circulation.aspx

Departmental ICT

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many and what proportion of computers in his Department malware was detected in 2008.

Angela Eagle: Malware was detected, and safely removed from, four of the Treasury's total of approximately 1,600 computers during 2008.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on  (a) departmental Christmas parties and  (b) staff entertainment in the last three years.

Angela Eagle: For information on departmental Christmas parties, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1669W, to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond).
	Treasury staff have organised a number of grass roots events in the period concerned. Those are self-funding and details of costs are not available.

Departmental Postal Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many items of correspondence his Department sent by  (a) Royal Mail and  (b) other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of delivery services other than Royal Mail.

Angela Eagle: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave him on 23 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 662-63W. The table provides the figures for subsequent years.
	
		
			   Number of items sent by Royal Mail  Number of items sent by other commercial delivery services 
			 2007(1) 86,391 186 
			 2008 54,371 470 
			 (1) From this year, HM Treasury combined its postal services with the Office of Government Commerce, which moved into the Treasury building in September 2007.

Departmental Training

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not available. HM Treasury only holds records centrally of core training provision, which does not include this type of training. Details of other training provided or funded locally could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EU Budget

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to have discussions with his EU partners on reassessing the UK's contributions to the EU budget.

Ian Pearson: No timetable has yet been set for the commencement of discussions on the next financial perspective.
	The arrangements by which member states finance the EC Budget are set out in the European Communities' Own Resources Decision. A new Own Resources Decision was agreed in June 2007 and has since been ratified by all member states in accordance with their own constitutional requirements. In the UK, ratification was by means of a European Communities (Finance) Bill which was taken through both Houses between 7 November 2007 and 18 February 2008 receiving Royal Assent on 19 February 2008.

Non-domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's analysis of the  (a) 2005,  (b) 2000,  (c) 1995 and  (d) 1990 non-domestic rating lists rateable values by (i) detailed property type by country, (ii) property type and (iii) region and property type;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's analysis of the distribution of changes in rateable value by  (a) property type and  (b) region between the (i) 2005 and 2000, (ii) 2000 and 1995 and (iii) 1995 and 1990 non-domestic rating lists;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA)  (a) primary description code and  (b) special category code analysis by (i) economic region, (ii) billing authority and (iii) VOA group office of the movements in rateable value between the (A) 2000 and 2005, (B) 1995 and 2000 and (C) 1990 and 1995 rating lists.

Stephen Timms: The analysis and distribution of changes by ratable value by property type for 2005 and 2000 are available on the Valuation Office Agency's website at:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/business_rates/DraftListStats/index.htm.
	The 1995 and 1990 information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: Closures

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which HM Revenue and Customs offices are planned to close under the Workforce Change programme;
	(2)  which HM Revenue and Customs offices originally scheduled for closure under the Workforce Change programme are now planned to stay open; and for what reasons in each case.

Stephen Timms: The aim of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Workforce Change regional review programme was to match its accommodation with its future business needs. The following table provides a list of the HMRC offices announced for closure under the regional review programme. Decisions made to close these offices remain unchanged.
	HMRC has however looked again at the timing of the closures of a number of these offices in the light of budgetary constraints, and has decided that the vacation of some offices will not now take place in 2009-10 as originally planned. This does not affect the strategic decision to close these buildings, which HMRC aims to complete in 2010-11.
	Where an office housing an inquiry centre closes, the inquiry centre services will be retained at or near the current location so face to face services to HMRC's customers will not be affected.
	
		
			  HMRC offices announced for closure under HMRC's Workforce Change Regional Review process 
			  Town  Building 
			 Aberystwyth Crown Buildings 
			 Accrington Castle House 
			 Alfreton Horsefair House 
			 Alnwick Bondgate Hall 
			 Altrincham Roberts House 
			 Andover London Street 
			 Ashford Wellesley Road 
			 Ashton-under-Lyne Oakglade House 
			 Aylesbury Kingfisher House 
			 Ayr Russell House 
			 Ballymena Kilpatrick House 
			 Banbridge Bridgwater House 
			 Banbury Crown Building 
			 Bangor Ty Glyn 
			 Barrow in Furness Furness House 
			 Basildon Kelting House 
			 Basildon Regent House 
			 Bath Royal Mead 
			 Bedford Portman House 
			 Belfast Olivetree House 
			 Belfast Windsor House 
			 Bideford North Bank House 
			 Birkenhead Birchen House 
			 Bishop Auckland Vinovium House 
			 Blackpool Mexford House 
			 Boston Chantry House 
			 Brecon Government Buildings 
			 Bridgend Tremains Road 
			 Bridgwater Westgate House 
			 Bridlington Crown Building 
			 Brierley Hill Capstan House 
			 Bristol The Pithay 
			 Bristol Woodlands Court 
			 Buckie Moray House 
			 Burnley Towneley House 
			 Burton upon Trent Crown House 
			 Bury Minden House 
			 Bury St. Edmunds Triton House 
			 Cannock Rogers House 
			 Cardiff Portcullis House 
			 Carmarthen Ty Myrddin 
			 Cheadle Boundary House 
			 Cheltenham Inland Revenue House 
			 Chester Eden House 
			 Chester Norroy House 
			 Chesterfield Dents Chambers 
			 Chichester 6, Southgate 
			 Chippenham Kilvert House 
			 Chorley Lingmell House 
			 Clacton-on-Sea Harlech House 
			 Coatbridge Muiryhall Street 
			 Colchester Northgate House 
			 Coleraine Mill House 
			 Cowes Watchhouse 
			 Crewe Crewe House 
			 Darlington Regent House 
			 Derby St. James House 
			 Dewsbury Empire House 
			 Doncaster St. Peters House 
			 Doncaster Weston House 
			 Dorchester Vespasian House 
			 Dumbarton Meadowbank Street 
			 Dumfries Brooms Road 
			 Dunfermline Merchiston House 
			 Dunoon Auchencraig 
			 Durham Wycliffe House 
			 East Dereham Revenue Building 
			 Edinburgh Argyle House 
			 Edinburgh Clarendon House 
			 Edinburgh Saughton House 
			 Edinburgh Spitfire House 
			 Edinburgh York Place 
			 Elgin Phoenix House 
			 Enniskillen Custom House 
			 Evesham Lower Leys 
			 Falkirk Grahame House 
			 Farnham Woolmead House 
			 Frome Edwin Sims House 
			 Gainsborough Crown House 
			 Galashiels New Reiver House 
			 Glasgow Blythswood House 
			 Grangemouth Custom House 
			 Grantham Crown House 
			 Gravesend Stephenson House 
			 Grays Crown Building 
			 Great Yarmouth Havenbridge House 
			 Greenock Custom House 
			 Greenock Dalrymple Street 
			 Grimsby Heritage House 
			 Halifax Dean Clough Mill 
			 Halifax Southgate House 
			 Hamilton Barrack Street 
			 Harlow Beaufort House 
			 Harlow Terminus House 
			 Hastings Ashdown House 
			 Hatfield Gracemead House 
			 Haverfordwest Government Buildings 
			 Hawick Crown Building 
			 Haywards Heath Oaklands 
			 Hemel Hempstead Lord Alexander House 
			 Hereford Broadway House 
			 Hertford Sovereign House 
			 Hexham St. Andrews House 
			 High Wycombe Thame House 
			 Horsham Exchange House 
			 Horsham Tower Court 
			 Hove Martello House 
			 Huddersfield Crown House 
			 Huntingdon Chequers Court 
			 Inverness Longman House 
			 Keighley Worth House 
			 Kendal Eskdale House 
			 Kendal Kentmere House 
			 Kettering Cytringan House 
			 Kettering Montagu Court 
			 King's Lynn Custom House 
			 Lancaster Charter House 
			 Launceston Madford House 
			 Leeds Century House 
			 Leeds Jefferson House 
			 Leeds Pennine House 
			 Leek Britannia Chambers 
			 Leicester Attenborough House 
			 Leicester Enkalon House 
			 Leigh Boardman House 
			 Lewes Medwyn House 
			 Lincoln Ceres House 
			 Liverpool Graeme House 
			 Liverpool Norwich House 
			 Liverpool Regian House 
			 Llanelli Crown Building 
			 London (Central) Belgrave Road 
			 London (Central) Haymarket House 
			 London (Central) New Kings Beam House 
			 London (Central) Thomas Paine House 
			 London (Central) Towergate 
			 London (Central) Towergate Garage 
			 London (Outer) 3 Brook Street, Kingston upon Thames 
			 London (Outer) Church Hill, Walthamstow 
			 London (Outer) Collingwood Business Centre, Tufnell Park 
			 London (Outer) Gateway House, Finchley 
			 London (Outer) Helena House, Sutton 
			 London (Outer) Lyndhurst House, Mill Hill 
			 London (Outer) Majestic House, Staines 
			 London (Outer) Northside House, Bromley 
			 London (Outer) Station House, Colindale 
			 London (Outer) Valiant House, Wembley 
			 Louth Revenue Buildings 
			 Ludlow Riddings Road 
			 Luton Jansel House 
			 Macclesfield Craven House 
			 Maidenhead Bell Tower House 
			 Maidstone Concorde House 
			 Manchester Royal Exchange Building 
			 Mansfield Chaucer House 
			 Margate Capital House 
			 Melton Mowbray Crown House 
			 Middlesbrough Fountain Court 
			 Morpeth Back Riggs 
			 Motherwell Civic Square 
			 Newark Millgate 
			 Newbury Elizabeth House 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Aidan House 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Cale Cross House 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Eagle Star House 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne North Star House 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Warwick House 
			 Newport Crown Building 
			 Newport IOW 88-91 St. James Street 
			 Newport IOW Apex 
			 Newry Downshire House 
			 Newton Abbot Sherborne House 
			 Northampton Beaumont House 
			 Northwich Dane House 
			 Norwich Roseberry Court 
			 Nottingham Bowman House 
			 Nottingham Huntingdon Court 
			 Nuneaton Powell House 
			 Oban Mathieson House 
			 Oldham Phoenix House 
			 Oswestry Plas Ffynon 
			 Oxford Sterling House 
			 Paisley Gilmour House 
			 Pembroke Custom House 
			 Penrith Voreda House 
			 Penzance Penlowarth 
			 Perth Water Vennel 
			 Peterborough Ashurst House 
			 Peterborough Hereward House 
			 Peterborough Stuart House 
			 Peterhead Keith House 
			 Plymouth Custom House 
			 Plymouth Westpoint 
			 Pontefract Micklegate House 
			 Pontypool Ty'r Felin 
			 Pontypridd Taff Vale House 
			 Preston Cop Lane 
			 Prestwick Liberator House 
			 Reading Eaton Court 
			 Reading Eldon Court 
			 Redditch Threadneedle House 
			 Retford Kings Park House 
			 Rhyl Llys Anwyl 
			 Ripon Athelstan Court 
			 Rochdale Newgate House 
			 Rothesay King Street 
			 Rugby Bennfield House 
			 Salford Anchorage 2 
			 Salisbury Alexandra House 
			 Scarborough Albion House 
			 Scunthorpe Station House 
			 Shipley Crown House 
			 Shipley Hockney House 
			 Shrewsbury New Mayfield House 
			 Skipton Cavendish House 
			 Southampton 8 Ogle Road 
			 Southampton Portcullis House 
			 Southampton Queen's Keep 
			 Southend Dencora Court 
			 Southend Portcullis House 
			 Southport Dukes House 
			 Spalding Government Buildings 
			 Spalding Holland House 
			 St. Albans Beauver House 
			 St. Annes Petros House 
			 Stafford Greyfriars House 
			 Stirling Spittal Street 
			 Stockport Wellesley House 
			 Stockton Dunedin House 
			 Stratford upon Avon Crown Building 
			 Sudbury Newton Road 
			 Sunderland Gilbridge House 
			 Sunderland Shackleton House 
			 Swansea Custom House 
			 Swindon Spring Gardens 
			 Taunton Riverside Chambers 
			 Tonbridge Douglas House 
			 Torquay Tor Hill House 
			 Truro Pydar House 
			 Tunbridge Wells Longford House 
			 Tunbridge Wells Union House 
			 Wakefield Crown House 
			 Washington Cheviot House 
			 Washington Weardale House 
			 Wellingborough Christchurch House 
			 Wells Priory Road 
			 Welshpool Dolanog House 
			 Weston Super Mare Parkside 
			 Whitehaven Blencathra House 
			 Wick Government Buildings 
			 Widnes Kingsway House 
			 Wigan Bridgeman House 
			 Winchester Cromwell House 
			 Witham Iceni House 
			 Worthing Teville Gate House 
			 Yeovil Maltravers House 
			 York Swinson House

Revenue and Customs: Closures

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs offices are planned for closure in the next 12 months.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs plans to vacate 58 properties during 2009-10, and of these 47 are offices. It will reduce the size of a further 70 offices by relinquishing space that is no longer needed.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money the Government has provided to the Royal Bank of Scotland in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: Following the conversion of the Treasury's £5 billion preference shares to ordinary shares, announced on 19 January 2009 and completed on 14 April 2009, the Government have now invested £20.3 billion in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) (including additional amounts to cover the accrued dividend on the repurchased preference shares, and the underwriting fee on the new ordinary shares).
	With RBS' participation in the asset protection scheme, the Government will make a further investment of £19.5 billion, and will make available a further £6 billion at RBS's option.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to  (a) make illegal the design and promotion of schemes intended solely or mainly as a vehicle for tax avoidance and  (b) establish penalties for all those involved in the design and promotion of such schemes.

Stephen Timms: Tax avoidance has the potential to damage the public finances and the provision of public services in the UK. For this reason, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monitors tax avoidance closely at all times.
	Since 1997, the Government have been taking steps to tackle avoidance, by reforming the tax system, closing loopholes and introducing the disclosure regime. Anti-avoidance measures brought in as a result of the disclosure rules have closed over £11 billion in avoidance opportunities. The disclosure regime ensures that should further avoidance schemes emerge, the Government can quickly take action to protect tax revenues.
	The Government agree that more action is still needed to mitigate the effects of tax avoidance. Budget 2009 sets out measures to close down avoidance schemes, including principles-based legislation on financial product avoidance, the successful introduction of which could facilitate this approach being applied to other areas, and work to further extend and improve the disclosure regime. These measures raise over £1 billion during the period 2009-10 to 2011-12, and protect a further £3 billion per year of tax receipts by 2010-11. The Government keep the need for further measures under review.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals for a general anti-tax avoidance provision on the Australian equitable model or a similar model.

Stephen Timms: The Government consulted extensively on the possibility of a general anti-avoidance rule in 1998. Based on the outcome of that consultation, we made the decision not to introduce such a rule at that time, although the situation would be kept under review. That position is unchanged.

Tax Collection

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions HM Revenue and Customs has accepted money from taxpayers other than in response to a demand for payment of tax in the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) systems do not separately identify those payments received before and after formal demands have been issued.
	Much of the operation of the tax system depends on payments being made to HMRC other than in response to a demand for payment. This would include, for example, payments where the taxpayer makes a self-assessment, payments that employers make throughout the year of the amounts due under PAYE, payments on account or in advance of future liabilities and payments in respect of VAT due from traders.

Tax Havens

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the tax information exchange agreements sought by the G20 to be in operation.

Stephen Timms: In keeping with the G20 London summit communiqué, we expect swift implementation of the international standard of exchange of information by all countries. The G20 summit stated its readiness to apply sanctions against countries that fail to implement the international standard. G20 Leaders and Finance Ministers will meet again this year to review progress on commitments.

Taxation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the ruling on the capping of input tax claims by HM Revenue and Customs, what refund payments have now been made to each local authority; and what the total estimated Exchequer liability is for such payments.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not disclose the details of individual taxpayers, so I am unable to provide details of refunds paid to each local authority in light of legal rulings on the capping of input tax. No specific estimate of the total liability to the Exchequer for such payments to local authorities is available.

Valuation Office: ICT

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model was last calibrated.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 6 May 2008,  Official Report, column 828W.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency  (a) paid Rightmove.co.uk in 2008-09 and  (b) plans to pay to that company in 2009-10.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 723-24W.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 262W, on the Valuation Office: Rightmove, for what reasons the contract with Rightmove.co.uk and HM Revenue and Customs, on behalf of the Valuation Office Agency, was extended; and whether the contract will be extended into 2010.

Stephen Timms: The contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Rightmove was extended because it provides good value for money by reducing the need for Valuation Office Agency (VOA) staff to visit properties in order to undertake their functions. It also allows the VOA to source the information it needs at minimal inconvenience to taxpayers. There is no provision in the contract for extension into 2010.

VAT: Bingo

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual revenue which would be forgone by the Exchequer from the removal of value added tax on mainstage bingo.

Stephen Timms: It is estimated that the removal of value added tax on mainstage bingo would forego around £20 million in revenue in 2009-10. This includes the impact of value added tax removal on excise duty revenues from bingo and other gambling sectors.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist developing countries tackle the adverse effects of climate change.

Gareth Thomas: Information on the Department for International Development's (DFID) climate change policy and the steps being taken are available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Global-Issues/How-we-fight-Poverty/Climate-and-Environment/Climate-Change/What-DFID-is-doing/

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on measures to tackle HIV/AIDS in the developing world; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: In June 2008 the UK Government launched "Achieving Universal Access"—the UK's strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world. This is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID web-site:
	www.dfid.gov.uk.

Pakistan: Armed Conflict

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the humanitarian situation in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan following the recent conflict between Pakistani security forces and the Taliban; and what assistance the Government plan to provide to displaced civilians in that conflict zone.

Michael Foster: The UK Government are deeply concerned by the growing humanitarian crisis in the Swat Valley and neighbouring districts. We are in close discussion with the Government of Pakistan, humanitarian agencies and other donors to monitor the situation. The number of registered people displaced by the conflict now stands at over 1 million and this figure is sill growing. The United Nations (UN) is currently revising its appeal to meet the needs of up to 1.5 million people. The Department for International Development (DFID) has so far provided £12 million for humanitarian assistance to help those who have been displaced from their homes. This includes £10 million that was released at the end of April. Our funds are being used to provide shelter, water, sanitation, food and medical services. We will take a decision about the provision of further support once the revised humanitarian appeal is launched next week and funding gaps are clear.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Michael Foster: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr. Sharma) on 13 May 2009,  Official Report, column 855W.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received of the nature of the screening process for Tamil people displaced by the conflict in the north of the country upon entering the camps established by the government of Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: Security screening for civilians escaping the conflict zone initially takes place in an area of the Vanni to which no international humanitarian agencies have access. Secondary screening takes place at Omantai checkpoint where the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has only limited access to observe the screening process. There is no established security screening process in the IDP camps and there are reports of people being removed for questioning and detention. This lack of international observation continues to cause concern and the UK Government have repeatedly called for full access for international humanitarian agencies to assist and protect all displaced people on their journey to the camps.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many UN High Commission for Refugees  (a) emergency and  (b) field monitoring experts have been granted access to former battle areas in the conflict in the northern region of Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has not had a permanent presence in the Vanni since September 2008 when the Government of Sri Lanka required all UN agencies and NGOs to leave. Until January 2009 there were occasional visits of UNHCR personnel aboard humanitarian convoys into the Vanni. But since January there has been no UNHCR access to the Vanni except restricted access to the IDP security screening centre at Omantai checkpoint. The UK Government have repeatedly called for full UN access to the conflict zone, and for a UN team to be allowed to make a full humanitarian assessment of the needs there. The UN Secretary General's Chief of Staff, Vijay Nambiar, went to Sri Lanka on 15 May to press for full humanitarian access and respect for international humanitarian standards.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of Tamil people who have been able to return to their homes in former battle areas in the conflict in the northern region of Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: Only a few hundred people have been able to return to their homes in Mannar district—formerly longer term residents of two small camps which pre-date the present exodus of civilians. The UK Government have consistently pressed the Government of Sri Lanka to abide by its commitment to return 80 per cent. of the new displaced population by the end of the year.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the feasibility of delivering humanitarian aid by sea to Tamil people displaced by the conflict in the northern region of Sri Lanka; and what discussions he has had with the government of Sri Lanka on this matter.

Michael Foster: The only deliveries of aid to the conflict zone since February have been made by sea, all under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Recently, only very small consignments of 25 tonnes at a time have been possible. The overwhelming constraint is the reluctance of both parties to allow humanitarian access and permit the ICRC ships to enter the zone and unload supplies safely. The UK Government have continually pressed the Government of Sri Lanka to allow full humanitarian access to the conflict zone, including guaranteeing safe passage for a 1,000 tonne vessel which has not been able to return since last unloading on 8 April.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of camps established by the Sri Lankan Government for Tamil people displaced by the conflict in northern Sri Lanka; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of people  (a) in such camps and  (b) whose deaths are attributable to conditions in such camps.

Michael Foster: As at 12 May 194,303 people have been registered in more than 40 camps for displaced persons. More than 173,000 of these are in Vavuniya, most of them in three very large camps at Menik Farm. The conditions are far from ideal but starting slowly to improve. There are no reliable data available for deaths in the camps or to what extent those could be attributable to the conditions there. By far the greatest concern is the terrible loss of life in the conflict zone and in hospitals overwhelmed with sick and wounded patients.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility with international standards of the humanitarian conditions of the camps established by the Sri Lankan government for Tamil people displaced by the conflict in the north of Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: In terms of international standards for assistance such as shelter, water and sanitation, food, health and education, the camps started from a very low standard but are gradually improving. Large influxes such as more than 113,000 people in one week made camp conditions very difficult to manage, particularly their sanitation. The UK Government have repeatedly pressed the Government of Sri Lanka to abide by international humanitarian standards and to work with humanitarian agencies to improve both protection and assistance, with a view to meeting their commitment of early return of at least 80 per cent. of the displaced population before the end of the year.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms are in place to ensure that humanitarian aid from his Department to assist Tamil people displaced by the conflict in the north of Sri Lanka is not misappropriated; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: Department for International Development (DFID) assistance is provided directly only to United Nations and independent humanitarian organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Organisation for Migration and reputable international and national NGOs. DFID follows rigorous grant management procedures. Its humanitarian staff in Sri Lanka and London monitor and evaluate its programmes. No DFID humanitarian funding is transferred to the Government of Sri Lanka or any other governmental organisation in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of international aid workers who have access to the camps established by the Sri Lankan government for Tamil people displaced by the conflict in the north of Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: We have no firm figure. Access to Government of Sri Lanka controlled camps was a serious concern earlier this year, especially with regard to non-governmental organisations (NGOs). United Nations (UN) agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) generally had better access to the camps. The UK Government repeatedly pressed the Government of Sri Lanka for greatly increased access to the camps, especially for NGOs.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in the camps established by the Sri Lankan government for Tamil people displaced by the conflict in the  (a) Wanni region and  (b) Mullaitivu district who do not have access to humanitarian aid; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: Although the situation is far from ideal the 194,303 internally displaced people registered in camps in Vavuniya, Jaffna and Mannar do have access to humanitarian assistance. The situation is improving slowly. However, the population trapped in the conflict zone in Mullaitivu district is almost entirely isolated from any humanitarian assistance. Only the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has any kind of access and is able only to deliver 25 tonnes of food and other emergency items three times a week to a population of at least 50,000—barely three days of food each week. The UK Government repeatedly press at the highest level for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to enable the ICRC to evacuate the sick and wounded and to deliver sufficient humanitarian aid.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones) and the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Peter Luff) on 13 May 2009,  Official Report , column 844.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to meet the need for humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe.

Gareth Thomas: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer provided to my hon. Friend the Member for Dundee, West (Mr. McGovern) on 13 May 2009,  Official Report, column 841W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new lets there were by  (a) local authorities and  (b) registered social landlords in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: New lets are defined as the number of lets to new social housing tenants.
	New lets are reported by local authorities annually, through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), covering the period 1 April to 31 March. The number of new lets made by local authorities in each year since 1996-97 is provided in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of new lets( 1)  by local authorities since 1996-97, England 
			   Number of new lets ( T housand) 
			 1996-97 260 
			 1997-98 259 
			 1998-99 249 
			 1999-2000 235 
			 2000-01 222 
			 2001-02 198 
			 2002-03 191 
			 2003-04 162 
			 2004-05 149 
			 2005-06 133 
			 2006-07 124 
			 2007-08 111 
			 (1) New lets includes both general needs and supported housing  Source: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix 
		
	
	New lets by registered social landlords are available via the Continuous Recording of Lettings system (CORE), covering the period 1 April to 31 March. The number of new lets made by registered social landlords in each year since 1996-97 is provided in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of new lets( 1,2)  by registered social landlords since 1996-97, England 
			   Number of new lets ( T housand) 
			 1996-97 118 
			 1997-98 128 
			 1998-99 137 
			 1999-2000 139 
			 2000-01 140 
			 2001-02 146 
			 2002-03 146 
			 2003-04 147 
			 2004-05 141 
			 2005-06 143 
			 2006-07 147 
			 2007-08 146 
			 (1) New lets includes both general needs and supported housing. (2) Registered social landlords with less than 250 stock are not required to complete CORE returns.  Source: Continuous Recording of Lettings (CORE)

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) her Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The Department and its agencies have made no payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department and its predecessor has spent on  (a) conference services and  (b) banqueting services in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department has spent the following amount on  (a) conference services for the last three years:
	
		
			   Conference services (£) 
			 2006-07 1,450,377 
			 2007-08 1,836,863 
			 2008-09 1,338,590 
		
	
	Owing to changes to the coding structure on the Department's finance system, figures for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The cost of any working meals cannot be disaggregated without disproportionate cost. I refer the hon. Member the answer I gave to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 717W.

Empty Property: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of properties were vacant in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	The table shows the number of empty homes for each year between 2003 and 2008 for Essex and Castle Point with the number of those in the private sector empty for more than six months.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			  Local a uthority (incl. owned by others)   
			 Castle Point 15 13 8 9 11 56 
			 Essex 1,730 1,296 1,205 733 775 5,739 
			
			  Registered s ocial  l andlord   
			 Castle Point 7 8 4 13 9 41 
			 Essex 305 388 531 550 653 2,427 
			
			  Other public sector   
			 Castle Point 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 528 345 335 729 85 2,022 
			
			  Private sector (non - RSL)   
			 Castle Point 767 889 927 1,070 994 4,647 
			 Essex 16,420 16,292 19,248 17,918 19,282 89,160 
			  Total empty   
			 Castle Point 789 910 939 1,092 1,014 4,744 
			 Essex 18,983 18,321 21,319 19,930 20,795 99,348 
			
			  Private  sector (non- RSL) +  six  months   
			 Castle Point 304 529 588 693 649 2,763 
			 Essex 8,458 7,451 8,488 8,426 8,932 41,755 
			  Source:  The Housing Strategy Statistical Appendices for 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 and can be accessed via the Communities and Local Government website.

Energy Performance Certificates

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Buckingham of 5 May 2009,  Official Report, column 128W, on energy performance certificates, from which organisation her Department has commissioned research relating to the implementation of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Margaret Beckett: Communities and Local Government has commissioned AECOM (formerly Faber Maunsell) to undertake the research relating to the implementation of the energy performance of buildings directive.

Fire Services: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of the cost of the South West fire control centre project.

Sadiq Khan: The full business case for the FiReControl project was published on 6 May. This sets out in detail the forecast costs of project implementation, and contains a South West specific annex. Copies of the business case have been placed in the Libraries of the House and can be found on our website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/firecontrolfullbusinesscase

Fire Stations: ICT

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many and what proportion of computers in fire stations malware was detected in 2008.

Sadiq Khan: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing and Planning Delivery Grant

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the effect of the recession on the level of housing and planning delivery grant to be paid to each planning authority in 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: A written ministerial statement on housing and planning delivery grant was made to the House by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Housing and Planning, on 12 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 45-46WS.

Housing and Planning Delivery Grant

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much is planned to be spent on housing and planning delivery grant in each of the next three years.

Iain Wright: £135 million is to be spent on housing and planning delivery grant in 2009-10 and £200 million in 2010-11. No funding has been agreed beyond the current spending review period.

Housing and Planning Delivery Grant

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on  (a) planning delivery grant and  (b) the housing and planning delivery grant in each year since 2003.

Iain Wright: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Planning delivery grant allocations 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  Financial year  PDG (£  million) 
			 2003-04 50 
			 2004-05 130 
			 2005-06 170 
			 2006-07 135 
			 2007-08 120 
			 PDG total during SR02 and SR04 period 605 
		
	
	
		
			  Housing and planning delivery grant allocations 
			  Financial year  HPDG (£  million) 
			 2008-09 101 
			 2009-10 (to be allocated) 135 
			 2010-11 (to be allocated) 200 
			 HPDG total during CSR07period 436

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which HomeBuy agents have suspended applications for MyChoice HomeBuy;
	(2)  which regions have filled their MyChoice HomeBuy allocations for 2009-10; and when she expects the scheme to be opened to applicants again.

Margaret Beckett: Mychoice homebuy providers have fully committed their current funds for the scheme. To date the Government have invested £126 million in the scheme this year and are considering the next steps for funding. In managing the Affordable Housing programme, the Government need to strike the right balance between this scheme and other programmes that support the delivery of new homes, including social rented homes, which also support new supply and jobs. Applicants who are eligible for assistance to purchase a home under my choice homebuy are also eligible for our other homebuy products including homebuy direct and new build homebuy.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the Rent to Homebuy scheme became operational.

Margaret Beckett: The rent to homebuy scheme became operational on 16 July 2008.

Housing: Rents

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what average  (a) local authority,  (b) registered social landlord and  (c) private sector rental levels were as a percentage of average earnings in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: holding answer 15 May 2009
	Estimates of average rents, for local authority, registered social landlord and private sector tenants, as a percentage of average earnings are given in the following table for each year from 2002 to 2007. Comparable data prior to 2002 are not available.
	The estimates are based on average rent data from a number of sources: CLG Housing Subsidy Claim Form; Housing Corporation (now Tenants Services Authority) HAR/10 and RSR; and Survey of English Housing (private rents). For each tenure, the percentage is calculated as the average rent for that tenure divided by the average earnings for England (all tenures).
	
		
			  Average rent as a percentage of average earnings, England, 2002 - 07 
			  Percentage 
			  Tenure  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Local authority 12 12 12 13 13 13 
			 Registered social landlord 14 14 14 14 14 14 
			 Private renters 29 29 28 28 29 29 
			  Note: All percentages (for all tenures) are based on the mean gross earnings for England.  Sources: Local authority rents—CLG Housing Subsidy Claim form Registered social landlord rents—Housing Corporation HAR/10 and RSR (Regulatory and Statistical Return) Private rents—Survey of English Housing (free market rents) Earnings—ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

Inland Waterways: Planning Permission

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what policies her Department has in place for the protection of wharfs north of Prescott Lock from housing development.

Iain Wright: holding answer 14 May 2009
	The protection of wharves for river-related use is a matter for the Mayor of London and the relevant local authority, which in this case is the London borough of Newham. The London Plan contains policies to protect a number of safeguarded commercial wharves on the Thames and the Lower Lea and to require referral to the Mayor of any proposals for non river-related uses of these wharves, including housing development. The borough development plans are required to reflect the strategic policies through the inclusion of detailed development control policies. In the case of the Lower Lea, north of Prescotts Lock, there are two safeguarded wharves, Mayer Parry and Priors wharves and these are protected through the saved policies of the Newham Unitary Development Plan of 2001. Change of use of unprotected wharves would be subject to the borough's general policies and, in determining applications for housing development, it would be for the council to judge the suitability of the proposal.

Owner Occupation: Social Mobility

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent research her Department has commissioned on links between home ownership and social mobility.

Iain Wright: The Department published in February 2007 research on the links between home ownership and social mobility. The final research report is entitled: "Social Mobility and Homeownership: A Risk Assessment—final report" and is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/newhorizonsresearch

Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the percentage of  (a) registered social landlord and  (b) local authority residential properties which were built before (A) 1919, (B) 1965, (C) 1980 and (D) 1990;
	(2)  how many dwellings owned by  (a) local authorities and  (b) registered social landlords were built prior to 1980.

Iain Wright: The following table shows an estimate of the percentage of registered social landlord and local authority residential properties which were built before 1919, 1965, 1981 and 1990, and the number of dwellings owned by local authorities and registered social landlords which were built prior to 1980.
	
		
			  Dwellings owned by local authorities and registered social landlords by age, 2006 
			   Local authorities  Registered social landlords  All social landlords 
			  Dwelling age  (Thousand)  Percentage  (Thousand)  Percentage  (Thousand)  Percentage 
			 Pre-1919 96 5 182 10 278 7 
			 Pre-1965 1,252 60 821 44 2,073 53 
			 Pre-1981 1,955 94 1,288 70 3,243 82 
			  Source: English House Condition Survey, 2006.

Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the annual turnover rate of  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord tenancies was in each region in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The annual turnover rate has been produced by calculating the number of lettings as a percentage of total stock for each year.
	A comparison between the figures provided for local authorities (LAs) and registered social landlords (RSLs) is not possible, because RSL figures cover general needs households, while LA figures also include supported needs.
	The amount of local authority stock and number of lettings are reported annually by local authorities through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix. Table 1 gives turnover rates by region for all local authority stock for each year since 1997-98.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of lettings as a percentage of total stock owned by local authority landlords, for each year since 1997-98, by region 
			  Percentage 
			  Region  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 14.2 13.8 14.0 15.6 13.1 13.0 11.2 11.5 10.7 9.7 11.1 
			 North West 13.9 14.1 14.5 13.8 12.8 13.6 11.9 11.6 10.4 11.3 10.4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 13.1 13.1 13.3 13.4 12.8 14.2 11.4 11.8 9.4 9.6 8.3 
			 East Midlands 13.2 13.4 12.8 12.6 12.1 12.9 10.3 10.3 10.3 10.1 10.0 
			 West Midlands 13.2 12.9 12.8 12.7 11.2 12.1 10.5 10.1 9.9 9.3 8.9 
			 East of England 10.6 10.4 10.4 10.0 10.2 9.8 8.9 9.2 9.5 8.8 9.1 
			 London 9.7 8.4 7.7 7.4 6.9 6.9 6.7 6.7 6.3 5.9 5.5 
			 South East 10.9 10.5 10.2 10.1 9.1 9.6 9.6 9.2 9.1 8.8 8.6 
			 South West 11.3 11.6 11.0 10.6 10.1 9.7 9.9 9.6 9.2 9.6 8.9 
			 England 12.2 11.9 11.8 11.6 10.8 11.1 9.8 9.7 9.0 8.8 8.4 
			 Notes:  1. Lettings are recorded over the period 1 April to 31 March. Stock figures are reported as at 1 April following this period.  2. Stock and lettings include both general needs and supported housing.  Source:  Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix, Sections A and D 
		
	
	The amount of RSL stock and the number of lettings are reported annually through the Regulatory Statistical Return. Table 2 gives turnover rates by region for stock owned by registered social landlords (RSLs) for each year since 1997-98. This covers general needs households only.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of general needs lettings as a percentage of general needs stock owned by registered social landlords, for each year since 1997-98, by region 
			  Percentage 
			  Region  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 21.9 18.9 18.8 19.1 16.1 13.4 10.9 11.1 10.4 10.7 9.6 
			 North West 17.5 15.9 14.4 14.8 16.2 12.7 12.1 10.4 10.2 9.4 8.9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 21.7 20.1 19.5 17.8 18.3 14.1 15.0 10.5 11.3 10.5 10.8 
			 East Midlands 24.9 19.6 17.7 18.4 17.2 15.6 16.4 16.2 14.0 14.3 12.0 
			 West Midlands 15.8 14.1 13.7 13.8 14.1 11.7 11.3 10.5 10.1 9.8 9.7 
			 East of England 16.0 15.5 13.6 13.2 12.4 11.6 10.8 9.7 9.2 9.5 10.1 
			 London 11.0 10.0 8.9 9.2 9.9 8.8 8.9 9.1 7.7 8.9 9.3 
			 South East 13.9 12.5 11.6 10.7 11.9 11.2 11.3 11.1 11.1 9.5 9.1 
			 South West 16.0 10.8 12.0 11.5 13.3 11.9 11.4 11.3 10.8 10.5 10.6 
			 England 15.8 13.9 13.1 12.9 13.6 11.8 11.5 10.7 10.1 9.9 9.7 
			  Notes:  1. Stock figures are reported as at 31 March each year; lettings are recorded over the period 1 April to 31 March.  2. Figures from 2000-01 and earlier relate to self-contained stock only.  Source:  Regulatory and Statistical Return Part N (1998 to 2001), part 0 (2002 to 2008).

Repossession Orders: South Yorkshire

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions initiated by  (a) building societies and  (b) banks there were in (i) Barnsley, (ii) Doncaster and (iii) South Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) on 13 May 2009,  Official Report, column 818W.

Social Rented Housing

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assess the merits of transferring social housing stock from local authority to registered social landlord control.

Iain Wright: Local authorities who wish to consider transferring their social housing to a registered social landlord (RSL) need to ensure that there are clear benefits from doing so and that the proposal would have the support of tenants. The Department has published guidance to local authorities, the Housing Transfer Manual 2005 and a 2006 supplement, which sets out the process and assessments required.
	The Homes and Communities Agency has a responsibility to consider housing transfer applications from local authorities, and the Tenant Services Authority considers from a regulatory perspective the position of the RSL to whom the housing is proposed to be transferred. Housing transfer only takes place where it has the support of tenants, and has the legal consent of the Secretary of State.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average age of a dwelling owned by a  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord was in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Provisional figures for the average age of social housing in England, as at May 2009, are:
	 (a) Local authority dwellings—53 years;
	 (b) Housing association dwellings—44 years.
	Equivalent statistics for previous years are not available but it should be noted that there is little change in the age profile of the stock from year to year.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) registered social landlords and  (b) local authority tenants received a cash incentive to vacate their home in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) on 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 322W, and on 24 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 554-56W.

Urban Areas: Regeneration

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps her Department has taken to provide  (a) guidance and  (b) assistance to (i) regional and (ii) local organisations in relation to town centre regeneration projects.

Sadiq Khan: On 14 April we published "Looking after our town centres", which sets out the range of powers, guidance and approaches that can help local authorities and their partners promote the vitality and viability of town centres, and explains additional steps that the Government are taking to enable further positive action to be taken, particularly through the temporary use of empty shops.
	We also recently issued, for public consultation, "Planning for Prosperous Economies", a new Planning Policy Statement streamlining planning policy for economic development. This includes policy on town centres currently in Planning Policy Statement 6. We are also consulting on associated guidance. Together these will strengthen the Government's "town centre first" policy and support regeneration schemes.
	We also set out clear principles for working at regional and local levels when we launched the next stage of the Regeneration Framework on 11 May. This explains the Government's vision for regeneration and the steps we are now taking to keep regeneration moving in the current economic conditions. It takes a holistic approach—ensuring physical, social and economic regeneration are planned and delivered together.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Cold Weather Payments: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in North-East Fife constituency qualified for cold weather payments in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: No cold weather payments were triggered for eligible people living in the post code area covering the North-East Fife constituency in the years 2004-05 to 2006-07. Cold weather payments were triggered once for this post code area in 2007-2008 and either once or twice in 2008-09, dependent on the relevant weather station. However, it is not possible to give a figure for the number of people who qualified for a cold weather payment, as this information is not available at constituency level, only by weather station.

Crisis Loans: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid out in crisis loans by each Essex jobcentre in each year since 2005.

Kitty Ussher: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on crisis loan expenditure is not available by Jobcentre Plus office.

Foreign Workers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) non-UK and  (b) non-EU citizens applied for a national insurance number in each region in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The available information is in the tables.
	The statistics show the total number of national insurance numbers allocated—not the number of migrants living in the UK. We know that many people come to work for a short period and then return—the national insurance number statistics do not measure people leaving the UK. They should not be used to make estimates about the number of foreign nationals living in the UK at a particular time.
	
		
			  Total number of non-UK and non-EU registrations for national insurance numbers in each Government office region 
			  Thousand 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Government office region  Non-UK total  Non-EU  Non-UK total  Non-EU  Non-UK total  Non-EU 
			 Total 373.5 258.51 435.35 237.19 663.06 287.97 
			 Scotland 15.96 10.3 23.44 11.02 41.40 13.82 
			 North East 5.88 4.69 7.36 5.08 10.93 5.84 
			 North West 23.67 18.21 31.22 17.32 48.81 18.71 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 18.92 15.5 19.98 11.91 36.50 14.53 
			 Wales 7.09 4.95 10.04 4.87 16.64 5.91 
			 West Midlands 23.5 18.84 28.01 16.80 42.04 17.62 
			 East Midlands 16.55 12.56 23.56 11.69 38.72 12.78 
			 East of England 26.48 17.85 34.62 15.92 52.78 18.48 
			 South East 43.49 30.4 51.00 26.61 80.24 33.38 
			 London 157.42 107.63 169.71 100.36 235.44 129.09 
			 South West 16.07 10.71 22.57 10.77 34.06 11.83 
			 Northern Ireland 4.58 2.12 5.74 2.23 16.06 3.04 
			 Overseas residents 13.89 4.76 8.11 2.66 9.43 2.95 
		
	
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			  Government office region  Non-UK total  Non-EU  Non-UK total  Non-EU 
			 Total 705.84 285.13 733.09 292.70 
			 Scotland 51.89 16.33 52.41 17.36 
			 North East 13.33 6.49 12.23 6.42 
			 North West 51.12 18.47 51.18 19.42 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 41.33 15.20 42.16 15.68 
			 Wales 16.72 5.82 16.35 6.21 
			 West Midlands 47.23 17.81 46.63 18.01 
			 East Midlands 40.72 11.89 38.45 11.19 
			 East of England 52.73 17.42 51.79 17.09 
			 South East 79.33 32.96 82.83 33.16 
			 London 240.93 124.31 272.71 132.49 
			 South West 41.23 12.59 38.90 11.83 
			 Northern Ireland 19.68 2.70 17.64 2.35 
			 Overseas residents 9.58 3.15 9.80 1.44 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and displayed in thousands. Some additional disclosure control has been applied.  2. Registration date is derived from the date at which a national insurance number is maintained on the National Insurance Recording System.  3. Government Office region improvements have been made to the allocation of migrants whose residential address is incomplete. Figures reflect the best estimate of an overseas national's locality at the time of registering for a national insurance number.  4. Financial year of registration date years are financial based (1 April to 31 March).  5. Non-EU registrations are included in the non-UK total figures.  6. Data are published at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp  7. Non-EU nationals—based on a client's nationality. The mapping for "world areas" is based on the present day.  8. Bulgaria and Romania are listed as EU accession states for the entire Back Series. "European Union" excludes the accession states.  9. The latest year that full year data is available is 2007-08.   Source:  100 per cent. extract from National Insurance Recording System.

Housing Benefit

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in England were in receipt of housing benefit on 1 April 2009 in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: Information is not available for 1 April each year; the available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of recipients of housing benefit in England: as at May each year 
			   Number 
			 2003 3,161,300 
			 2004 3,232,600 
			 2005 3,314,900 
			 2006 3,358,000 
			 2007 3,401,600 
			  Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.  4. The figures are for May which relate to the second Thursday of May each year. 5. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. 6. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics. However, until the new data have been fully quality assured to National Statistics standards, the most recent summary statistics available are for August 2007.  Source: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbctb.asp

Housing Benefit: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed housing benefit in  (a) Cambridgeshire and  (b) the East of England in each of the last 10 years.

Kitty Ussher: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Housing benefit recipients in Cambridgeshire and the East of England as at August each year 
			   Cambridgeshire  East of England 
			 1998 26,300 311,300 
			 1999 24,600 295,500 
			 2000 23,500 275,500 
			 2001 22,500 270,800 
			 2002 22,400 267,900 
			 2003 22,800 271,400 
			 2004 23,900 282,100 
			 2005 24,600 289,200 
			 2006 25,100 297,100 
			 2007 25,600 302,100 
			  Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. 5. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics. However, until the new data has been fully quality assured to National Statistics standards, the most recent summary statistics available are for August 2007.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. taken in August 1997 to August 2001. Information for August 2002 to August 2007 has been taken from: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbctb.asp

Housing Benefit: Fraud

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many social housing tenants in receipt of housing benefit had their access to benefit withdrawn following a determination that they had been subletting a social home in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The information is not available.

Jobcentre Plus

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what courses are delivered by Jobcentre Plus programme centres.

Tony McNulty: Programme centre provision is delivered via a range of job search modules and soft skill development modules to reflect the needs of employers and the local labour market. Provision is tailored to meet the individual needs of the customer. The following table lists the modules available. However, it is not exhaustive as providers may develop new modules subject to the approval of Jobcentre Plus.
	 Jobsearch Modules
	Induction
	Contract Setting
	Employment/Unemployment
	Overcoming hurdles to finding work
	Action Planning
	Labour Market Intelligence
	Personal Stocktaking - Skills/Strengths/Experience
	Individual Advice and Guidance
	Setting Job Goals
	CV's
	Job Leads (Where to find the hidden vacancies)
	Analysing Vacancies
	Telephone Techniques
	Letters of Application
	Preparation for Interviews
	Mock Interviews
	Training Opportunities/Individual Learning Accounts/Life Long Learning
	Managing Time
	Back to Work Benefits
	Starting Your Job
	Keeping Your Job
	Coping With Setbacks
	Assertive Jobseeking
	Self-Employment
	 Soft Skill Development Modules
	Attitude - Lifeskills/Learning Culture
	Financial awareness, money handling, paying bills
	Work Ethic
	Grooming/Personal appearance, interpersonal skills
	Motivation - Job appropriate/worthwhile
	Redressing low aspirations
	Recruitment systems/processes
	IT awareness (not occupational skills) essentials - keyboard, navigation, email, internet Employer Visits
	Occupational expectations (realism)
	Telephone skills
	Customer care
	Life skills - turning up, time keeping, getting to work/travel support mechanisms, lunch, concentration, stamina, routine
	Working with colleagues

National Insurance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications from  (a) British citizens,  (b) EU citizens and  (c) citizens from countries outside the EU for a national insurance number were received by each office issuing national insurance numbers in London in each of the last five years; how many staff were employed at each such office in each such year; and what the cost was of operating each office in each such year.

Tony McNulty: The available information on national insurance number (NINo) registrations in London Government office region is in the table.
	
		
			  NINo registrations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK, in London Government office region by EU/Non-EU status 
			  Thousands 
			  Financial year  EU nationals  Non-EU nationals 
			 2003-04 49.49 107.63 
			 2004-05 69.06 100.36 
			 2005-06 106.12 129.09 
			 2006-07 116.43 124.31 
			 2007-08 140.05 132.49 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and displayed in thousands. Some additional disclosure control has been applied.  2. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording System.  3. Government office region improvements have been made to the allocation of migrants whose residential address is incomplete. Figures reflect the best estimate of an overseas national's locality at the time of registering for a NINo.  4. The mapping for "world areas" is based on the present day. Bulgaria and Romania are listed as EU accession states for the entire Back Series. European Union excludes the accession states.  5. Financial year of registration date years are financial based (1 April to 31 March).  6. The latest year that full year data is available is 2007-08. In the first two quarters from April to September 2008, there have been some 69.74 thousand national insurance numbers allocated to EU nationals and 66.4 thousand allocated to non-EU nationals.   Source:  100 per cent. extract from National Insurance Recording System. 
		
	
	The statistics show the number of adult overseas nationals (by Government office region) entering the UK and registering for a NINo in order to work or to claim benefits and tax credits. As such they are one measure of in-migration to the UK. However, they do not represent the number of migrants living in the UK at a point in time, nor are they consistent with estimates of Government office region migrant populations. Nor do they represent the distribution of employment of migrants—as they provide information on where the individual lived at the time they registered for a NINo; they may have since moved.
	Information on full-time equivalent staff numbers and operating costs is not collated for each individual office and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Natural Gas: Safety

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the terms of the contract agreed with Capita for the operation of the Gas Safe Register are; what the key performance indicators are; and how (i) performance and (ii) value for money will be reviewed.

Kitty Ussher: The Services Concession Agreement entered into by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with Capita Gas Registration and Ancillary Services Ltd. for the operation of the Gas Safe Register is a commercially confidential document. The performance and value for money of the Gas Safe Register will be measured against eight key performance indicators, which are published on the HSE website.

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to Question 254755, on cold weather payments, tabled on 3 February 2009; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 30 April 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member's question on 13 May 2009,  Official Report , columns 866-7W.

Welfare Tax Credits: Lone Parents

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of paying a work-related activity premium of  (a) £10,  (b) £20 and  (c) £30 per week to lone parents with children aged under seven years in 2009-10.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 22 April 2009
	 There are approximately 460,000 lone parents on income support with a youngest child under the age of seven.
	Assuming that this remains constant, the annual cost of paying all lone parents with a child aged under seven a work-related activity premium is in the table.
	
		
			  Cost of paying a work-related activity premium to all lone parents on income support with a youngest child under the age of seven 
			  Work-related activity premium  Annual cost (£ million) 
			 £10 per week 240 
			 £20 per week 480 
			 £30 per week 720 
			  Notes: 1. Costs are rounded to the nearest £5 million. 2. Costs depend upon case loads. The average number of lone parents on income support over the last year was 460,000, but higher numbers would mean higher costs, and vice versa. 
		
	
	As this is not Government policy these costs assume all lone parents with a youngest child under the age of seven receive a work-related activity premium.
	They reflect only the additional cost of paying the premium, and not any additional costs associated with ensuring additional provision is made available through, for example, the new deal for lone parents programme.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Business: Advisory Services

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made in piloting an insured advice helpline for employment and health and safety regulations as referred to in the Government's response to the Anderson Review of Good Guidance.

Gareth Thomas: In its response to the Anderson Review the Government undertook to develop an approach to this recommendation by spring 2009. We will shortly be making an announcement on our piloting strategy.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has made the following payments covering interest for late payment of invoices under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2006-07 1,116 
			 2007-08 0 
			 2008-09 0 
		
	
	Prior to the creation of BERR in June 2007, the payments covering interest for late payment of invoices relate to payments made by the Department of Trade and Industry.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 18 May 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8 May 2009, UIN 275210, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House has not paid any interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 18 May 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to your question how much (a) his Department and its predecessor and (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.
	The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform made no payments of interest to suppliers for late payment of invoices in the last three years.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much  (a) his Department spent on furniture in 2008-09 and  (b) his Department's agencies spent on furniture in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: This Department's published  "Annual Report and Accounts" contains information on its tangible fixed assets, which includes an additions category entitled  "furniture, fixtures and fittings".
	These accounts can be found on the BERR website at the following address:
	www.berr.gov.uk.
	Information for 2008-09 is still subject to audit and will be published in the 2008-09 Annual Report and Accounts on 17 July 2009.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 18 May 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 5 May 2009, UIN 273745, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House has spent the following amounts on furniture in the last five years:
	
		
			  Financial Year  Amount (£) 
			 2004-05 548,761 
			 2005-06 83,999 
			 2006-07 37,406 
			 2007-08 41,554 
			 2008-09 12,825 
		
	
	The high costs in 2004-05 and 2005-06 were as a result of establishing a new office in Nantgarw, north of Cardiff.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed , dated 18 May 2009:
	I refer to your question to ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much (a) his Department spent on furniture in 2008-09 and (b) his Department's agencies spent on furniture in each of the last five years.
	The Insolvency Service expenditure on furniture for the last five years is shown in the table below:
	
		
			  Year  Expenditure (£) 
			 2008-09 869,363 
			 2007-08 683,666 
			 2006-07 678,952 
			 2005-06 526,985 
			 2004-05 149,160

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005.

Ian Pearson: In 2008, one BlackBerry was lost by a Minister and one by a special adviser. The numbers lost by civil servants are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Mobile Phones  Blackberry's 
			 2005 11 3 
			 2006 14 3 
			 2007 2 12 
			 2008 2 13 
			 2009(1) 0 5 
			 (1) 30 April

Departmental Public Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1128W, on the economic situation, what expenditure was incurred by his Department under each budgetary heading for each of the summits, conferences and seminars held for which the primary focus was the effects of the economic situation.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 23 April 2009
	Information on expenditure on summits was provided in my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs (Mr. McFadden) answer to the hon. Member on 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 557W.
	Information on expenditure on the conferences and seminars referred to in my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs (Mr. McFadden) answer to the hon. Member on 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1128W, is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Total  Venue  Catering 
			  Conferences
			 Small Business Forum 777.25 490.00 287.25 
			 Prompt Payment Forum 174.60 137.50 37.10 
			 S.O.S Panel on Monitoring the Economy (four occasions) 1,506.25 392.50 1,114.00 
			  1,197.40 343.75 854.00 
			  783.75 343.75 440.00 
			  747.50 305.00 443.00 
			 S.O.S Meeting with Automotive Industry 784.00 287.00 497.00 
			 Lord Davies (no meeting title) 131.00 110.00 21.60 
			 Economic Integration Conference 1,767.50 1,125.00 642.50 
			 RDA Chairs Ministers Meeting (two occasions) 332.90 275.00 57.90 
			  519.30 410.00 109.30 
			 Round Table Meeting 441.45 303.40 138.00 
			 Ministerial Advisory Group on Manufacturing (two occasions) 384.80 328.00 56.80 
			  368.85 328.00 40.85 
			 
			  Seminars
			 Economic Impact of Migrant Workers 368.25 328.00 40.25 
			 Knowledge Sharing 820.00 820.00 — 
			 Senior Economist Meeting (four occasions) 109.05 82.50 26.55 
			  159.65 137.50 22.15 
			  168.20 137.50 30.70 
			  168.20 137.50 30.70 
			 Senior Whitehall Stakeholder Group for Business (two occasions) 600.50 410.00 190.50 
			  474.00 410.00 64.00 
		
	
	The events listed pertained to a broad range of different issues within Ministers' briefs—from small business to consumer protection and the automotive industry. It also includes interdepartmental meetings between Whitehall economic experts.

Departmental Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the rate  (a) per minute and  (b) per three minutes charged to a caller to a number operated by his Department and its agencies beginning with (i) 084 and (ii) 03 is.

Ian Pearson: This Department is unable to confirm the cost of calling the 084 numbers in use, as rates will vary dependent upon the tariffs applied by each caller's telephone service supplier. The Department does not deploy any 03 numbers.

Departmental Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the average duration of a call to a telephone number beginning with  (a) 084 and  (b) 03 operated by his Department and its agencies was in the last period for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: The information available on call duration to the Department's 084 numbers is limited to the three numbers supplied by the main telephone supplier, Global Crossing. For the first quarter of 2009 the average call duration for these 084 numbers was two minutes and nine seconds. The Department does not use 03 numbers.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department and its predecessor has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: The Department's budgets for training are devolved to individual directorates. IT training, whether it relates to routine or project-related activities, is not separately itemised on the Department's accounting system and the amount that was spent on it within overall training budgets could be ascertained only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Tribunals Service

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  how many of the 678 equal pay claims upheld at an employment tribunal in 2007-08 related to the employer with the greatest number of cases reaching an employment tribunal in that year;
	(2)  how many employers had equal pay claims upheld against them in 2007-08.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The Employment Tribunal does not keep the information which the hon. Member has requested in a readily available format. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make an estimate of the  (a) monetary value and  (b) quantity of waste food disposed of from his Department's premises in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: Over the last 12 months up to the end of April 2009, it is estimated that 16,350 kgs of waste food was disposed of by BERR's catering service provider from its restaurant facility at 1 Victoria street.
	It is not possible to estimate the monetary value of this waste as information is not held centrally and collating this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Gambling Commission

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which review model was used by the Hampton review team in its assessment of the Gambling Commission; and on how many occasions the Review Team met the Gambling Commission for the purposes of the assessment.

Ian Pearson: Under the Hampton implementation review framework, regulators are reviewed under one of two models, depending on their size, scope and impact, to ensure that reviews are proportionate to the organisation in question.
	The Gambling Commission was assessed under the 'Model 1' framework whereby a review team of experienced individuals from the Better Regulation Executive, National Audit Office, the Security Industry Authority and the EEF assessed the work of the Commission over a one-week period. The review team conducted a combination of interviews with senior staff, with representatives of the gambling sector, and with individual regulated businesses, as well as shadowing the work of Commission inspectors.
	The review framework and both the Model 1 and Model 2 methodologies are set out on the BERR website at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/bre/inspection-enforcement/implementing-principles/reviewing-regulators/page44054.html.
	The review team met with a wide range of Commission staff, including both Commission members and Executive staff ranging from the Chief Executive to their compliance and advisory staff over the course of 6 October to 10 October.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the rules against misleading omissions under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 will apply to property information questionnaires in home information packs.

Gareth Thomas: The rules on misleading omissions in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) will apply to Property information questionnaires (PIQs) where they constitute a marketing communication between a trader (as part of his business) and a consumer. The rules prohibit the provision of unclear material information or the hiding or omission of material information which the consumer needs in the circumstances.
	We believe that an estate agent acting for a consumer seller would not normally breach the rules on misleading omissions in the CPRs where the PIQ had been completed by the seller.

Housing: Sales

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidance his Department has issued on the effect of  (a) the Cancellation of Contracts Made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc Regulations 2008 and  (b) Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 on the (i) sale and (ii) marketing of (A) homes and (B) home information packs.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has produced general guidance, available on the BERR website at:
	www.berr.gov.uk
	about the Cancellation of Contracts Made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008. The Office of Fair Trading has published joint OFT/BERR branded general guidance, available on the OFT website at:
	www.oft.gov.uk
	about the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The guidance details the steps that any business, that is subject to the regulations, must take to comply with the regulations.

Motor Vehicles: EU Law

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his policy is on whether the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (EC) 1400/2002 should expire in 2010; and what discussions he has had with the motor repair industry on this matter.

Gareth Thomas: On the basis of detailed discussion with EU member states, the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation will be extended or otherwise by the European Commission as this falls within their competence under Article 81 (3) of the European Treaty. We have expressed concerns about access to information, particularly technical information, and parts for the independent aftermarket, and have made several representations to the European Commission on the subject. Most other EU member states have expressed similar concerns. I would expect these concerns to be addressed in any formal proposals by the European Commission.
	Officials from BERR and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have been in discussion with representative groups from the motor vehicle industry including the 'Right to Repair' campaign throughout the review of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation and these helpful contacts will continue.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will hold an inquiry into the actions of Visteon UK and Ford UK to establish responsibility for pension and redundancy payments for employees made redundant by each company; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: As indicated during the debate in the House on 30 April, BERR is in contact with Visteon UK. I understand that the unions and the Visteon corporation have agreed a much improved redundancy package and that staff at the three Visteon UK plants voted overwhelmingly to accept it. I hope that the necessary payments can be made as soon as is possible. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many times Ministers in his Department have met representatives of the Post Bank Coalition in the last six months.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 20 April 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs attended the Post Bank Coalition's launch event on 17 March and regularly meets representatives of a range of post office network stakeholders and other interested parties.

Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what new powers the provisions of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 will provide for local authorities.

Gareth Thomas: Part 3 of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 allows a Minister, by order, to give local authorities and other regulators access to four new civil sanctions:
	 Fixed monetary penalties
	 Discretionary requirements
	which will enable a regulator to impose, by notice, one or more of the following:
	a variable monetary penalty determined by the regulator;
	a requirement to take specified steps within a stated period to secure that an offence does not continue or happen again; and
	a requirement to take specified steps within a stated period to secure that the position is restored, so far as possible, to what it would have been if no offence had been committed.
	 Stop notices
	which will prevent a business from carrying on an activity described in the notice until it has taken steps to come back into compliance.
	 Enforcement undertakings
	which will enable a business, which a regulator reasonably suspects of having committed an offence, to give an undertaking to a regulator to take one or more corrective actions set out in the undertaking.
	To date, no orders have been made under part 3 and so local authorities cannot yet access the new powers.
	Part 2 of the Act, which commenced on 6 April 2009, established the primary authority scheme. The scheme allows businesses, charities or other organisations that operate across more than one site, to enter into a partnership with a local authority for it to become a primary authority. As well as promoting consistency, the scheme is intended to help local authorities decide what action will be necessary and proportionate in a given circumstance to bring about a successful outcome with the minimum burden to an organisation.
	Where the Local Better Regulation Office has registered a primary authority, any other local authority that proposes to take enforcement action against an organisation must contact the primary authority first. The primary authority can then block the proposed enforcement action if it believes that it is inconsistent with advice or guidance that it has previously given. In situations where action is urgently required to prevent harm, the Act allows local authorities to proceed immediately and inform the primary authority as soon as possible after taking the action. Under the scheme, a local authority may reclaim costs incurred while acting as a primary authority on a cost recovery basis.

Retirement: Age

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward proposals to prevent employers using mandatory retirement ages.

Ian Pearson: The UK does not have a national mandatory retirement age. The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 introduced a default retirement age of 65, which allows employers to use retirement at 65 as a tool for workforce planning. However, employers do not have to retire employees once they reach 65. They are free to continue to employ them for as long as they like, and employees are entitled to request to continue working beyond 65.
	As the Government clearly stated when the regulations were introduced, we are committed to undertaking an evidence based review of the default retirement age five years after its introduction. This provides sufficient time for the regulations to bed in and helps business to plan with certainty. We will be gathering the evidence needed to enable us to undertake this review in 2011. If the conclusion of the review is that the evidence demonstrates a default retirement age is no longer necessary, we will take the necessary steps to remove it.

WPP

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1186W, on WPP, what matters were discussed at the meeting.

Ian Pearson: holding answer  20 April  2009
	I understand general business issues were discussed.

JUSTICE

Council Tax: Non-payment

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many council tax liability orders have been issued by magistrates to local authorities in England and Wales in each year from 1998 to 2008.

Jack Straw: Statistics on the number of orders issued, as opposed to the number of applications made, are not available. The following table shows the number of applications for council tax and business rate liability orders made to magistrates courts during the financial years 2005-06 to 2008-09 inclusive. These liability orders attract the same fee charge, and are therefore recorded on the internet fees accounting system (IFAS) in the same way. It is not possible to distinguish between applications for liability orders made in relation to council tax and business rates.
	
		
			  Number of applications for council tax and business rate liability orders made to magistrates courts in England and Wales, 2005-06 to 2008-09 
			   Number of applications made 
			 2005-06 2,438,305 
			 2006-07 2,632,923 
			 2007-08 2,867,390 
			 2008-09 3,124,406 
		
	
	Centrally-held figures are not available for earlier years because HM Courts Service only assumed direct responsibility for the magistrates courts with effect from April 2005.

Damages

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to publish his response to the consultation on the law on damages; what the reasons are for the time taken; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1253W, to his earlier question on this subject.
	The consultation on the law on damages closed on 27 July 2007. The consultation paper considered proposals put forward in a series of Law Commission reports and consequently covered a number of distinct and complex issues. There were 103 responses, many very detailed, that required careful consideration. This work has taken longer than planned, partly because of the scale or the response and the inherent complexity, and partly because of by the need to divert resources to deal with other pressing issues. The Government do, however, intend to publish a response paper outlining the way forward as soon as possible.

Departmental Reviews

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) review and  (b) task-force projects his Department and its predecessor have commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information centrally. To collate this level of information would require a detailed trawl across the Department which would entail disproportionate cost.
	However, information on major reports and reviews undertaken by the Department on a wide range of issues can be accessed at the following link from the MOJ website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/policy-reports.htm
	It also contains Green Papers, White Papers and Government responses to parliamentary committee reports on major policy reviews.
	Publications and follow-up reports on the Department's regular research programme, as well as any special projects that MOJ initiates can also be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research.htm
	Information on MOJ consultations, both open and closed, can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations.htm

Land Registry: Fraud

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much compensation has been paid by HM Land Registry in respect of property fraud in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: The figures requested are shown in the following table. The increase in the level of payments in 2005-06 was principally caused by one fraudulent transfer which resulted in payments of more than £8.1 million. The raised level of payments in subsequent years is attributable to a range of factors—including increasing numbers of registered transactions, greater availability of credit providing more opportunities for fraudsters, increases in property values resulting in the losses from each fraud being higher, and more professional as opposed to domestic frauds. The number of frauds must be seen against the overall numbers of transactions processed in each year. For example, in 2007-08, Land Registry processed 5,638,226 applications to alter the register and there were 60 successful indemnity claims based on fraud.
	
		
			   Indemnity payments relating to fraud  (£)  Number of fraud related indemnity claims 
			 1998-99 231,540 17 
			 1999-2000 89,226 15 
			 2000-01 245,457 9 
			 2001-02 99,320 7 
			 2002-03 254,930 4 
			 2003-04 151,626 12 
			 2004-05 293,599 15 
			 2005-06 8.6 million 31 
			 2006-07 2.1 million 24 
			 2007-08 3.9 million 60 
			 2008-09(1) 5.07 million 62 
			 Total 21.04 million 256 
			 (1) The figures for 2008-09 are based on information currently available to be finalised when Land Registry's audited accounts are published later this year. This figure can change. The Audit Committee are due to sign off the accounts in June.

Land Registry: Fraud

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) title registries and  (b) deeds for properties which have been altered by fraudulent means in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: It is not possible to provide these figures as no such estimates have been made. Land Registry tracks the level of fraudulent alterations to the register by reference to claims received for indemnity based on fraud rather than against estimates of the number of fraudulent alterations which would necessarily be speculative.

Land Registry: Fraud

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of property fraud in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: No such estimates have been made.

Offenders: Mental Health Services

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to ensure that the mental health needs of ex-service personnel involved in the criminal justice system are met.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	Ex-service personnel, including those within the criminal justice system, have access to national health service treatment and services. Prison mental health care transferred fully to primary care trusts in 2006, and all prison mental health services are now mainstreamed within the NHS. On entering custody, the reception screening tool assesses all prisoners' health concerns, including mental illness, and can refer them to mental health in-reach teams within the criminal justice system. A person whose mental illness is too severe to justify their remaining in prison can be transferred to NHS secure services.
	In its response to Lord Bradley's report on people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system, the Government make it clear that veterans involved in the criminal justice system is an important group, and whose needs will also be taken into account as the delivery plan to address Lord Bradley's recommendations is developed.

Orchard Lodge Secure Unit

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the Youth Justice Board decided to close the Orchard Lodge Unit in Anerley.

David Hanson: The Youth Justice Board will be commissioning 191 beds in Secure Children's Homes in England and Wales from 1 July 2009. This figure was determined by examining the average level of demand for secure training centre and secure children's home beds over a three-year period and determining the optimum number of secure children's home beds to be commissioned in the current contracting round.
	The Youth Justice Board's decision not to offer Orchard Lodge a new contract was taken following a comprehensive evaluation of a tender exercise. The evaluation panel assessed the quality of all tenders received based on the quality of the responses to the specifications issued, and a financial evaluation on submitted bed prices. Any decision about the future of Orchard Lodge will be taken by the private operator, Glen Care.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of the prison population foreign nationals comprised in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The following table provides the numbers of prisoners held in all prison establishments in England and Wales as at 30 June in each year from 2004 to 2008, showing the percentage of foreign national prisoners:
	
		
			   All prisoners  (number)  Foreign nationals  (number)  Foreign nationals (percentage) 
			 2004 74,488 8,941 12 
			 2005 76,190 9,651 13 
			 2006 77,982 10,879 14 
			 2007 79,734 11,093 14 
			 2009 83,194 11,498 14 
		
	
	These figures include foreign national prisoners serving their sentence, those on remand pending prosecution and those being held under immigration powers pending deportation action.
	These figures are available on the Ministry of Justice website:
	For the period 2004 to 2007:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	For 2008:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody-2008.htm
	Data on foreign national prisoners are published quarterly in the population in custody bulletin, again on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody .htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Discipline

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison disturbances requiring the deployment of  (a) Tornado support officers and  (b) the police there have been in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last 12 years for which figures are available; and what the (i) cause, (ii) nature and (iii) cost to the public purse of the disturbance was in each case.

David Hanson: The information is not held in the form required and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There are a variety of types of incident where Tornado teams may be deployed, predominantly concerted indiscipline, hostage taking and incidents at height. As Tornado teams will not have been deployed to all of these incidents, the information could be obtained only by examining each incident in detail. Similarly police presence at incidents is not centrally recorded.
	There have been just four major incidents of disorder since 1996, and the incident at Ashwell in April was the first since the disturbance at Lincoln in October 2002. Between 1990 and 1995 there were 11 major incidents of disorder, including Manchester, which lasted 25 days, and Pucklechurch, where the entire prison was destroyed (both in 1990).

Probation Boards: Pay

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what average percentage of probation board and trust expenditure was incurred on salaries paid in respect of management positions higher than Band 4 on the national job evaluation scheme in  (a) England and  (b) Wales in 2008-09;
	(2)  what average percentage of probation board and trust expenditure was on probation board members'  (a) salaries and  (b) associated expenses in (i) England and (ii) Wales in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: This information is not held centrally and is not available in the format requested in the 42 probation areas where it is held. To obtain this information would therefore incur a disproportionate cost.

Repossession Orders: Mortgages

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many court orders for action in relation to mortgage arrears have been issued in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many court orders were issued in respect of mortgage arrears in each region in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many repossession orders have been issued by courts in England and Wales in respect of mortgage arrears in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many repossession orders have been issued by the courts in each of the English regions in respect of mortgage arrears in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The number of mortgage possession orders made in each year from 1990 and in each quarter from 2004 are available via the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/stats-mortgage-land-q1-2009.pdf
	The following table shows the number of mortgage possession orders made in England and Wales and each Government office region in the last five years and in the first quarter of 2009.
	This breakdown is based on the location of the court which heard the case, rather than the exact location of the property which was the subject of the case.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold information centrally on the breakdown of mortgage possession orders according to the nature of dispute. This is because one of the main administrative computer systems used in the county courts for possession cases (CaseMan) does not identify the specific nature of dispute for these orders. Changing the administrative system to create the necessary field to capture this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The number of mortgage possession orders made in each county court of England and Wales in each year from 1987 to 2008 can be viewed using the following web link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/mortgateland lordpossession.htm
	The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, geographical boundaries of county courts may not necessarily be consistent with other administrative or constituency boundaries.
	These figures do not indicate how many homes have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order being made while not all court orders result in repossession.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1)  possession orders made( 2,)( )( 3)  in the county courts of England and Wales, by Government office region in which the court is located, 2004-08 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008*  2009 Qtr 1 ( 4) 
			 East 4,647 7,058 8,421 8,212 10,334 1,604 
			 East Midlands 3,619 5,511 7,179 7,807 9,690 1,401 
			 London 7,788 13,110 15,214 14,120 15,318 2,274 
			 North East 2,145 3,290 5,211 5,698 7,059 1,184 
			 North West 6,492 9,115 13,222 14,968 19,150 2,903 
			 South East 6,682 10,024 11,629 11,548 13,018 2,274 
			 South West 3,254 4,956 5,776 5,763 7,736 1,065 
			 West Midlands 5,318 7,606 10,223 11,290 14,342 1,789 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 4,091 6,349 8,511 9,459 12,112 1,821 
			
			 England 44,036 67,019 85,386 88,865 108,759 16,315 
			
			 Wales 2,647 3,945 5,440 6,048 8,113 1,272 
			
			 England and Wales 46,683 70,964 90,826 94,913 116,872 17,587 
			 (1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders. (2) The court, follow hg a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (3) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (4) Figures for the latest quarter are provisional.  Note: The Mortgage Pre Action Protocol for possession claims relating to mortgage or home purchase arrears was introduced on 19 November 2008. Its introduction has coincided with a substantial fall in the number of new mortgage possession claims in 2008 quarter 4 and subsequently in the number of mortgage possession orders in 2009 quarter 1.  Source: Ministry of Justice

Terrorism: Compensation

Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 533W, on terrorism: compensation, which  (a) Departmental officials and  (b) Ministers have been appointed to the working group on support for victims of terrorism abroad; what options are being considered by that working group; what timetable has been set for that working group to report; and when he next expects that working group to meet.

Jack Straw: The working group brings together officials from across Government and includes representatives from the following Departments:
	Humanitarian Assistance Unit
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	Office for Criminal Justice Reform
	Ministry of Justice
	Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
	Ministry of Defence
	Northern Ireland Office
	Scotland Office
	HM Treasury.
	There will be a separate ministerial group which will include the Minister with responsibility for humanitarian assistance, a Foreign Office Minister, the Home Secretary, the Attorney-General and the Justice Secretary.
	The working group of officials will look at all available options and put together detailed proposals for consideration by the ministerial group.
	The working group will meet regularly and is expected to report to Ministers in the summer.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file CPO 2/25 Lord Braine of Wheatley's Partial Birth Abortion (Prohibition) Bill; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file CPO 2/6 Lord Robertson of Oakridge, Abortion Amendment Bill Briefing for Legislation Committee and Second Reading Debate; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file CPO 2/4 10 Minute Rule Bill (Jo Richardson) NHS Act 1977 (Amendment) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: A copy of the files has been placed in the Library.

Care Homes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes in  (a) England and  (b) Leicester are operated by (i) local authorities and (ii) private enterprises; and what estimate he has made of the number of persons over 60 years old resident in each category of home.

Phil Hope: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that the numbers of services operating in Leicester city council area and in England are as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Ownership type  Leicester city council  England 
			 Charity 3 843 
			 Local authority 11 1,055 
			 National health service — 193 
			 Other — 102 
			 Private 90 14,052 
			 Voluntary 9 2,168 
			 Total 113 18,413 
			  Note:  Services include care and nursing homes inspected against the national minimum standards for care homes for older people (aged 65 or over) and care homes for younger adults (aged 18-64).   Source:  CQC registration and inspection database. Data as at 8 April 2009. 
		
	
	Information on the total numbers of residents, those aged over 60 and those whose care is privately funded in care homes is not collected centrally.
	Information about the number of people aged 65 and over in residential care, funded fully or in part by councils with adult social services responsibilities, is collected by the NHS information centre for health and social care. This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Council supported residents aged 65 and over at 31 March 2008 
			  Area  Residential care homes  Independent nursing homes 
			   Council  Independent  
			 England 18,000 106,600 57,700 
			 Leicester city council 300 700 200 
			  Note:  Figures exclude unstaffed homes and adult placements.  Source:  NHS Information Centre.

Dementia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support is available from his Department to  (a) those diagnosed with dementia and  (b) the carers of those with dementia; whether he plans to increase this support; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department published the first National Dementia Strategy on 3 February 2009, which will improve services for people with dementia and their carers. The strategy to be implemented over five years will focus on three key areas in relation to dementia services: improved awareness, earlier diagnosis and intervention, and a higher quality of care.
	The Carers' Strategy, "Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities", published in June 2008, recognises the increasingly important role that carers play in our society and acknowledges that all carers, including carers of those diagnosed with dementia, need more help and support than has been available in the past. The strategy contains a number of commitments including information and advice, new break provision and a recognition that family carers should be involved in decisions about treatment and support.
	Copies of both publications have already been placed in the Library.

Departmental ICT

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many and what proportion of computers in his Department malware was detected in 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: There were no instances of malware being detected on the Department's computers in 2008.

Health Professions: Registration

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which professional organisations have applied to be registered by the Health Professions Council; when each such application was made; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The following organisations have applied for their professionals to be registered by the Health Professions Council (HPC).
	2 April 2003. The Association of Operating Department Practitioners. Operating Department Practitioners. Recommended to the Secretary of State, on the HPC register since 2004;
	4 June 2003: The British Psychological Society. Applied Psychologists. Recommended to the Secretary of State, on the HPC register from 1 July 2009;
	17 September 2003. The Society of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain. Clinical Perfusion Scientists. Recommended to the Secretary of State;
	8 October 2003. The Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists. Clinical Physiologists. Recommended to the Secretary of State;
	2 March 2004. The Association of Dance Movement Therapy. Dance Movement Therapists. Recommended to the Secretary of State;
	13 May 2004. The Voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists. Clinical Technologists. Recommended to the Secretary of State;
	14 September 2004. The Institute of Medical Illustrators. Medical Illustrators. Recommended to the Secretary of State;
	13 September 2005. The Institute of Maxillofacial Prosthetists and Technologists. Maxillofacial Prosthetists and Technologists. Recommended to the Secretary of State subject to clarifying the education routes to registration and also the nature of the profession's continuing professional development and that they engage in discussions with one of the professions already regulated by the HPC with a view to being regulated under their umbrella;
	1 March 2006 and 11 May 2006. The Society of Sports Therapists. Sports Therapists. Recommended to the Secretary of State;
	3 July 2008. Society and College of Radiographers. Sonographers. Outstanding, awaiting publication of extending professional regulation working group report; and
	11 September 2008. The HPC considered the report of the Department of Health working group on acupuncture, herbal medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and other traditional medicine systems practised in the United Kingdom as if it were a new professions application. Recommended to the Secretary of State.

Hertfordshire Community Health Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory functions will be undertaken by the arms-length organisation Hertfordshire Community Health Services.

Phil Hope: Hertfordshire Community Health Services is the provider arm of the West and East and North Hertfordshire primary care trusts (PCTs). Therefore the PCTs retain all the statutory functions of those organisations.

Hertfordshire Community Health Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role the Care Quality Commission will play in the regulation of the arms-length organisation Hertfordshire Community Health Services.

Ben Bradshaw: All national health service providers of health care, including primary care trusts (PCTs), have been registered with the Care Quality Commission since 1 April 2009 against a single registration requirement relating to the prevention and control of health care acquired infections. From April 2010, NHS providers of regulated activities will be required to register with the Care Quality Commission against a full set of registration requirements. The Care Quality Commission will also assess PCT provider services as part of its organisational assessment of PCTs.

Hertfordshire Community Health Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) has been allocated and  (b) is expected to be spent on renaming (i) West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust and (ii) East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust.

Phil Hope: Allocations are made to primary care trusts (PCTs) and it is their responsibility to ensure that those allocations are used to commission services to meet the needs of the communities that they serve while at the same time giving value for money. The East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that the cost implications for renaming West Hertfordshire PCT and East and North Hertfordshire PCT will be very limited and restricted largely to the production of new name badges for staff. There are no immediate plans to replace any premises signage. The SHA also reports that there will be little or no cost to making the name change in other areas such as email signatures, websites and stationery reprints, the latter only taking place as stationery stocks diminish.

Hertfordshire Community Health Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the performance of the Hertfordshire community health service.

Phil Hope: The Care Quality Commission will continue to assess the provider services of primary care trusts (PCTs) as part of their assessment of PCTs. The Healthcare Commission's annual health check ratings for West Hertfordshire PCT and East and North Hertfordshire PCT is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   West Hertfordshire PCT  East and North Hertfordshire PCT 
			  2006-07   
			 Quality of service Weak Weak 
			 Use of resources Weak Weak 
			
			  2007-08   
			 Quality of service Fair Fair 
			 Use of resources Fair Fair

Hospitals: ICT

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial implications for the NHS are of BT not installing core IT systems at  (a) all major hospital trusts in London and  (b) all major hospital trusts in Birmingham.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 14 May 2009
	In London, four acute trusts, Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, Queen Mary's Sidcup, Barts and the London, and the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trusts are already live with the Cerner Millennium system supplied by the local service provider, BT.
	BT is not responsible for the implementation of systems in Birmingham.
	While the scale of the challenge in implementing new IT systems into acute trusts must not be underestimated, and initial experience with the new systems in London was not without difficulties, significant progress has since been made.
	Information about the local financial and resource impact on national health service organisations resulting from implementation of, or failure to implement, computer systems is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Under the national programme for information technology central contracts, suppliers are only paid when systems have been successfully deployed and are working satisfactorily. The cost of failure is therefore met by the supplier rather than the taxpayer.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of prisoners with a diagnosed mental health disorder; what percentage of prisoners who  (a) had a diagnosed mental health disorder prior to conviction and  (b) have been diagnosed with schizophrenia; and what proportion of prisoners diagnosed with (i) schizophrenia and (ii) another mental health disorder had been convicted of an offence involving violence.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected by the Department.
	On 30 April 2009, Lord Bradley published his review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system. The "Bradley report" found that too many people pass through the criminal justice system without their mental health needs or learning disabilities being recognised. This means that their specific needs are not met and too often this leads to a cycle of re-offending.
	The prevalence among suspects and offenders, of mental disorders, learning disabilities, and drug and alcohol problems is very high. About 20 per cent. will either currently be in contact with, or have a history of psychiatric treatment.
	The Government published their response to the recommendations alongside Lord Bradley's report. The report has been welcomed by Ministers across Government who recognise the need for reform in this area and the necessity for more joined up services to strengthen capacity and take forward this work.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to scrutinise the performance of Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in dealing with complaints; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The primary care trust (PCT) monitors performance and scrutinises complaints through the Commissioning Quality Review Committee meetings. The complaints report is presented at the PCTs Quality Scrutiny Committee, which looks at the response rates, key themes and any trends. This is then reported through the Governance Group meetings at the PCT. The PCT reports complaints at its monthly trust board as part of the performance report. As a result of the situation in Mid Staffordshire, the PCT offered to advocate on behalf of patients and will continue to offer this service.
	More generally, the Department has reformed and strengthened the national health service complaints system from 1 April this year. This sets the expectation that hospitals need to do better at resolving complaints at the local level and, importantly, take appropriate action in the light of the outcome of a complaint.
	Information on complaints is already available from the Care Quality Commission, the ombudsman and the Information Centre, but we will now require hospitals to publish annually the number of complaints they receive, and how many were successfully resolved locally. We will also discuss with the health ombudsman publishing the number of complaints from each trust referred to and upheld by her. All this information will also be placed on the NHS Choices website allowing easier comparisons between hospitals.
	A written ministerial statement was issued on 30 April 2009 setting out the Government response to the reports on care at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust submitted by Professor Sir George Alberti and Dr. David Colin-Thome.
	In line with the recommendations in Dr. David Colin-Thome's report, officials will undertake an assessment of the new complaints system in due course.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance his Department has issued to Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust on the exercise of the statutory powers of the trust's governors; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The statutory powers of an NHS Foundation Trust's board of governors are set out in the National Health Service Act 2006 (c41) Schedule 7 —"Constitution of public benefit corporations".
	In general, the governors of a foundation trust are expected to represent the interests of the membership, and to act as a bridge between the Board of Directors and the membership. Governors must act in the best interest of the trust, and hold the board of directors to account for the performance of the trust. This includes reviewing the annual report and accounts. The governors have a legal duty to appoint the non-executive directors and chair of the trust, and are responsible for appointing the external auditors.
	It is for the governors of an NHS Foundation Trust, acting on behalf of the trust's membership, to consider whether and when to act in accordance with their legal powers. The Secretary of State does not have a power of direction. NHS Foundation Trusts were established to increase the level of local accountability and the Department has not issued any guidance to Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust on the exercise of the statutory powers of the trust's governors.
	A written ministerial statement on Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was issued on 30 April 2009 in response to the reports of the independent reviews undertaken by Professor Sir George Alberti and Dr. David Colin-Thome.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Pay

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirements there are on NHS Foundation Trusts to publish details of the salaries and remuneration packages offered to their chief executives and senior managers; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The independent regulator (Monitor) requires foundation trusts to produce annual reports including annual accounts. These include details of salaries and remuneration packages of chief executives and senior managers. Copies of these documents are placed in the House of Commons Library. As a public benefit corporation, NHS Foundation Trusts have a duty to make this published data available to any person who requests it.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to amend the law to increase levels of protection for whistleblowers in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: We have already introduced legislation to protect whistleblowers. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) gives the full protection of the law to national health service staff who blow the whistle. The Department has made it clear that every NHS trust must have in place local policies and procedures that comply with the Act. The Government expect a climate of openness and dialogue in the NHS that encourages staff to feel able to raise concerns about health care matters sensibly and responsibly without fear of victimisation. The NHS constitution published on 21 January 2009, also sets out how staff should have "protection from detriment in employment and the right not to be unfairly dismissed for 'whistleblowing' or reporting wrongdoing in the workplace."
	We have taken out a contract with the charity "Public Concern at Work" to provide a helpline that is manned by lawyers with expertise on whistleblowing law who can provide confidential advice and support to NHS staff.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many and what proportion of computers in NHS hospitals malware was detected in 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Tranquillisers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) prescriptions and  (b) in-patient prescriptions were issued for each (i) benzodiazepine and (ii) Z tranquilliser in (A) 2007 and (B) the last quarter of 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is not held centrally for the number of prescription items issued, only for prescription items dispensed. Similarly, information on the number of in-patient prescriptions is not held in the format requested.
	The following table provides prescriptions for Benzodiazepine items, dispensed in the community, in England, and written in the United Kingdom, for 2007 and 2008, by quarters (Q1-Q4), in thousands.
	
		
			  Benzodiazepines items 
			  Thousand 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  04  Full year 
			  2007  
			 Alprazolam — — — <0.1 <0.1 
			 Chlordiazepoxide Hydrochloride 69.9 68.4 68.0 66.3 272.6 
			 Clobazam 35.3 36.4 37.4 38.9 147.9 
			 Clonazepam 113.6 116.5 119.0 125.0 474.1 
			 Diazepam 1,160.4 1,169.8 1,192.2 1,200.1 4,722.5 
			 Flurazepam Hydrochloride — — — — — 
			 Loprazolam Mesilate 27.9 26.8 26.5 26.9 108.1 
			 Lorazepam 215.0 218.0 221.9 226.9 881.8 
			 Lormetazepam 32.6 30.4 28.3 27.8 119.1 
			 Midazolam — — 0.2 1.6 1.9 
			 Midazolam Hydrochloride 11.1 12.1 12.5 13.5 49.2 
			 Midazolam Maleate 0.7 1.0 1.8 0.8 4.3 
			 Nitrazepam 318.6 311.8 308.0 311.5 1,249.9 
			 Oxazepam 47.6 47.2 46.9 47.1 188.8 
			 Temazepam 829.5 803.9 802.8 818.6 3,254.8 
			   
			  2008  
			 Alprazolam <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 
			 Chlordiazepoxide Hydrochloride 64.8 64.6 65.9 63.9 259.2 
			 Clobazam 37.9 39.3 40.6 42.3 160.1 
			 Clonazepam 123.8 126.4 132.5 138.1 520.8 
			 Diazepam 1,178.1 1,201.5 1,236.8 1,246.8 4,863.1 
			 Flurazepam Hydrochloride <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 
			 Loprazolam Mesilate 26.4 26.0 25.8 26.0 104.2 
			 Lorazepam 219.2 221.6 225.8 232.0 898.6 
			 Lormetazepam 25.1 23.4 22.3 21.2 92.0 
			 Midazolam 1.0 0.8 0.5 0.2 2.6 
			 Midazolam Hydrochloride 13.2 14.3 15.0 16.3 58.9 
			 Midazolam Maleate 0.7 0.7 1.5 2.3 5.2 
			 Nitrazepam 296.3 292.4 290.2 293.9 1,172.8 
			 Oxazepam 44.9 45.0 44.9 45.3 180.0 
			 Temazepam 792.2 770.7 772.2 787.1 3,122.2 
			  Notes: 1. Where there were fewer than 50 prescriptions dispensed this is indicated by "<0.1". 2. "—" indicates that there were no prescriptions dispensed in the time period.  3. Aggregated figures may not match full-year volumes due to rounding.  Source Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system 
		
	
	The following table provides prescriptions for "Z" tranquilliser items, dispensed in the community, in England, and written in the UK, for 2007 and 2008, by quarters (Q1-Q4), in thousands.
	
		
			  "Z" tranquilisers items 
			  Thousand 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Full year 
			  2007  
			 Zaleplon 8.5 7.7 7.8 7.8 31.9 
			 Zolpidem Tartrate 172.5 168.2 170.5 175.5 686.6 
			 Zopiclone 1,097.1 1,073.1 1,094.3 1,150.4 4,414.9 
			   
			  2008  
			 Zaleplon 7.5 7.0 7.1 7.4 29.0 
			 Zolpidem Tartrate 173.3 169.9 173.0 179.5 695.8 
			 Zopiclone 1,151.2 1,136.0 1,172.4 1,232.1 4,691.7 
			  Note: Aggregated figures may not match full-year volumes due to rounding.  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system

Tranquillisers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of introducing specialist tranquilliser withdrawal clinics.

Dawn Primarolo: The provision of treatments/services that reflect local needs and priorities is a matter for local decision.

Tranquillisers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which members of the Commission on Human Medicines provide scientific advice on tranquillisers to his Department.

Dawn Primarolo: The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) provides its advice to the Secretary of State as a collective body and not through individual experts.
	Membership of the CHM and the expert advisory groups is available on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency website at:
	www.mhra.gov.uk/Committees/Medicinesadvisorybodies/CommissiononHumanMedicines/Members/index.htm

Tranquillisers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the potential permanent effects on health of long-term tranquilliser use in the last 10 years; and what assessment he has made of the conclusions of such research.

Dawn Primarolo: Neither the Department's National Institute for Health Research nor the Medical Research Council has funded research into the permanent effects on health of long-term tranquilliser use. Both organisations welcome applications for support for research into any aspect of human health. Applications are judged in open competition with other demands on funding, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Building Colleges for the Future Programme

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  which colleges will receive funds from the £300 million allocated to Building Colleges for the Future in the 2009 Budget;
	(2)  how many projects will receive funds from the £300 million allocated to Building Colleges for the Future in the 2009 Budget.

Si�n Simon: Budget 2009 announced that an additional 300 million of capital funding will be made available in the current spending round and will allow a limited number of projects to start within this spending review period. Capital investment between 2007-08 and 2010-11 will total 2.6 billion on top of the 2 billion invested between 1997-98 and 2007-08. It is not possible to say the exact number of, or the names of the specific projects, that will be funded as the selection of projects will be based on objective criteria that the LSC is developing in consultation with the sector. The LSC plan to confirm which projects will be taken forward during this spending review period at the beginning of the summer.

Building Colleges for the Future Programme

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting held on 29 April 2009 of the panel of college principals established to discuss prioritisation of further education capital funding.

Si�n Simon: The minutes of this meeting were published on the Learning and Skills Council's website on 30 April, at:
	http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-Minutes_capital_reference_group_29_april_2009.pdf
	I will ensure copies of the minutes are placed in the House Libraries.

Energy Performance Certificates

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what responsibilities the National Measurement Office has for enforcement of the provisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

David Lammy: The National Measurement Office has no responsibilities for the enforcement of the provisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. The Regulations themselves are the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government and enforcement is a matter for local authorities with trading standards functions.
	Like any other part of government the Office is responsible for complying with the regulations in respect of its own building.

Further Education: Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding has been allocated by his Department to cover the start-up costs of each further education college which received approval in principle for capital development from the Learning and Skills Council.

Si�n Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the Council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much of the 1.2 billion funding available for new further education capital programmes in 2009-2014 he estimates will be allocated for outstanding costs of existing capital programmes.

Si�n Simon: Budget 2009 announced that an additional 300 million of capital funding will be made available in the current spending round and will allow a limited number of projects to start within this spending review period. Capital investment between 2007-08 and 2010-11 will total 2.6 billion on top of the 2 billion invested between 1997-98 and 2007-08. It is not possible to say the exact number of, or the names of the specific projects, that will be funded as the selection of projects will be based on objective criteria that the LSC is developing in consultation with the sector. The LSC plan to confirm which projects will be taken forward during this spending review period at the beginning of the summer.

Further Education: Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his latest estimate is of the level of non-recoverable costs incurred by further education and other colleges resulting from the reused allocations of capital funding by his Department; and what arrangements he has made to compensate colleges for such costs.

Si�n Simon: To be clear, the Department has not withdrawn any capital funding. In actual fact, in addition to the already record level of capital funding that we are investing in this spending review period, Budget 2009 announced that an additional 300 million of capital funding will be made available in the current spending round.
	Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding each further education college which has not received an approval in detail for capital redevelopment has been guaranteed by the Learning and Skills Council to cover their start-up costs.

Si�n Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Finance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2009, whether Matthew Boulton College in Birmingham has submitted plans to the Learning and Skills Council for developing the campus in the Birmingham, Erdington constituency.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 18 May 2009
	Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Finance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the effect on Sutton Coldfield and Matthew Boulton colleges arising from the freeze on capital spending on their Erdington campus.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 7 May 2009
	Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when the Learning and Skills Council and its external property advisers plan to meet representatives of Wycombe and Amersham college.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 7 May 2009
	Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Learning and Skills Council

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people are employed in each office of the  (a) Learning and Skills Council and  (b) Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Si�n Simon: The Higher Education Funding Council for England employs 263 full-time equivalent staff; 259 in Bristol and four in London.
	The management of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) estate is a matter for the LSC. As at March 2009 the LSC had 3,046.41 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in post. A breakdown of the number of staff based in each office of the LSC is provided as follows. The total occupancy varies slightly from the FTE figure as the FTE figure incorporates data on part time workers as a proportion of one FTE depending on individual working patterns.
	
		
			  LSC office  Occupancy 
			 National Office CoventryCheylesmore House 593 
			 Manchester 240 
			 Liverpool 43 
			 LancashirePreston 27 
			 Cheshire and Warrington 14 
			 Cumbria 16 
			 Birmingham 228 
			 Stoke on Trent 30 
			 Shropshire 0 
			 Black Country Castlegate 29 
			 Black Country Oldbury 0 
			 Hereford/Worcester 40 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 27 
			 LondonCentral 195 
			 LondonWest 32 
			 LondonEast 54 
			 LondonNorth 26 
			 LondonSouth 29 
			 Gateshead 165 
			 BillinghamTees Valley 40 
			 Durham 0 
			 Bradford 165 
			 Sheffield 107 
			 Hull 27 
			 York 27 
			 Cambridge 20 
			 Bedfordshire 55 
			 SuffolkIpswich 82 
			 Hertfordshire 32 
			 Essex 27 
			 NorfolkNorwich 23 
			 Leicester 147 
			 Derbyshire 29 
			 Lincoln 18 
			 Northampton 16 
			 Nottingham 32 
			 Bristol 76 
			 Bournemouth 17 
			 Plymouth Devon and Cornwall 81 
			 TruroDevon and Cornwall 11 
			 ExeterDevon and Cornwall 9 
			 Gloucester 14 
			 TauntonSomerset 18 
			 Swindon 24 
			 Reading 97 
			 East and West SussexBrighton 70 
			 Fareham 56 
			 WokingSurrey 33 
			 Milton Keynes 14 
			 Kent/MedwayWest Malling 53 
			 Total 3,208

Space Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what progress there has been on the British National Space Centre's review of the space licensing regime.

David Lammy: In recent years a number of changes have been made to improve operation of the space licensing regime. Such changes include:
	Extension of the Outer Space Act to Bermuda (2006)
	Introduction of improved assessments of collision risk in-orbit and for the satellite's transfer from the launch vehicle to its final working orbit (2006)
	Improved guidance and planning information for applicants on BNSC website (2007)
	Agreement of the Isle of Man to share contingent liability (2007)
	Agreement of Bermuda to share contingency liability (2008)
	Measures to enable the introduction of temporary licences for operating spacecraft belonging to others (for maintenance or emergency intervention) (2008)

Students: Low Incomes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to  (a) encourage and  (b) provide financial support for students from low-income socio-economic backgrounds entering higher education; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The information is as follows:
	 (a) This Government are fully committed to ensuring every young person has a fair chance of attending university. We are making progress with the proportion of young entrants from lower socio economic groups going to university increasing steadily, reaching almost 30 per cent. in 2007. This year we are investing 89 million in the Aimhigher programme which raises the aspirations of young people to progress further and enter HE, and launched Aimhigher Associates across England with 5,500 undergraduates from state schools mentoring 21,000 learners to promote progression to HE from state schools.
	As part of the New Opportunities White Paper, we also announced further measures to ensure every young person from a low income background, who could benefit from going to university, is given the opportunity to do so. This includes a group of 11 research intensive universities working together to look at ways to reach out to talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
	 (b) Around two-thirds of new students are expected to benefit from a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to 2,906 (2009/10 figure).
	Students are also able to take out a loan for their living costs. Student loans have a more favourable interest rate compared to commercial loans, and borrowers are not required to make repayments until they are earning over 15,000 a year once they have left university.
	Bursaries are an extra source of non-repayable support that universities are required to provide to all students entitled to the full maintenance grant.
	Other help is available for students with disabilities, and for students with children or adult dependants. The access to learning fund (available through universities and colleges) provides help for students in hardship who may need extra financial support for their course and to stay in higher education.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many meetings of governing bodies academies have been attended by officials from his Department in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not hold this information centrally.
	Officials from the Department have regular contact with academies and this often includes attendance at governing body meetings.

Apprentices

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average duration of an apprenticeship under the apprenticeship programme for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Apprenticeship frameworks typically take between one and three years to complete depending on the level and type of framework, the prior attainment and needs of the apprentice. These factors and an individual's speed of learning mean that length of time as an apprentice can vary enormously. Our primary measure of quality is the completion rate which last year was 64 per cent.; up from 37 per cent. in 2004/05.
	The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997, we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many of the schools built or refurbished under the Building Schools for the Future programme incorporate  (a) forms of renewable energy generation and  (b) rainwater harvesting and recycling.

Jim Knight: The Department does not routinely collect information on the numbers and types of renewable energy systems, rainwater harvesting installations or grey water recovery systems that are included within school projects delivered though the Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF).
	Since December 2007 we have required that newly constructed schools within BSF meet challenging targets for reducing carbon emissions. The Department has provided additional funding for more than 200 schools to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy measures on school sites to enable this requirement to be met.
	We will be monitoring carbon emissions for new and refurbished schools as part of post occupancy evaluations to be carried for all BSF schools. Typically these evaluations take place one full calendar year after the school has opened, and so they are only now beginning to take place for schools that have been delivered within BSF.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent progress has been made in confirming approval for revision to the primary capital programme for schools to 2008-11.

Jim Knight: We have now completed our assessment of revised or modified primary strategies for change from all of those local authorities required to resubmit following initial assessment last November. All but four have now been confirmed as fully approved. The remainder have been approved subject to further modification. The relevant local authorities have been notified of the outcome.

Children: Literacy

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps his Department plans to take to publicise the results of the Partnership for Literacy pilot scheme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the outcome of the Partnership for Literacy pilot scheme;
	(3)  what plans are in place to implement the Partnership for Literacy scheme;
	(4)  what estimate has been made of the cost of implementing the Partnership for Literacy scheme on a national basis.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The cost of implementing the Partnership for Literacy scheme nationwide has not been estimated. However, Sir Jim Rose is taking into account the evaluation report of the programme's first two-years, which was published in February, as part of developing recommendations on the identification and teaching of children with dyslexia. We are looking forward to Sir Jim Rose publishing his recommendations in June.

Children: Mental Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were placed on adult mental health wards in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table gives figures for the number of bed days for children on child and adolescent mental health wards and for children aged under 16 and 16-17 on adult mental health wards.
	
		
			   Quarter  Bed days - under 16s on adult ward  Bed days -16/17s on adult ward  Bed days - under 18s on  CAMHS ward 
			 2005-06 1 589 10,269 38,761 
			  2 349 5,958 26,351 
			  3 880 8,818 40,460 
			  4 353 4,261 36,039 
			 2006-07 1 75 4,697 34,609 
			  2 25 4,780 28,171 
			  3 38 4,679 34,430 
			  4 53 4,511 39,049 
			 2007-08 1 81 3,954 38,359 
			  2 112 3,893 37,956 
			  3 49 4,255 39,630 
			  4 133 5,028 40,651 
			 2008-09 1 16 3,316 35,431 
			  2 (1)4 4,024 35,482 
			  3 0 2,918 40,734 
			 (1) Five bed days were initially reported but one (Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust) was a data error.  Notes: Data on this issue was first collected in 2005-06 but data up until Quarter 3 of 2005-06 is not comparable with the data for Quarter 4 2005-06 onwards as information was collected on a different basis.

Class Sizes: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average class size in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Tamworth constituency was in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary( 1)  and state-funded secondary( 1, 2)  schools: average class size( 3) , as at January each year, in Tamworth parliamentary constituency. 
			   Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			 2004 25.4 20.9 
			 2005 25.7 21.0 
			 2006 25.5 20.3 
			 2007 25.4 20.5 
			 2008 25.4 19.3 
			 (1) Includes middle-schools as deemed. (2 )Includes CTCs and academies. (3 )One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.  Source:  School Census

Departmental Assets

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department last reviewed its assets and land and property holdings with a view to identifying and disposing of surpluses.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) Property Asset Management Plan was revised in October 2008.
	The Department's Business Plan includes challenging efficiency targets to reduce the size and cost of its estate while improving the quality of our working environments. Both of these objectives are addressed in DCSF's Property Asset Management Plan.
	DCSF has already made significant progress in efficiency and effectiveness as shown in Improving the Efficiency of Central Government's use of office property released by the NAO recently.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I can confirm that the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor did not make any interest payments to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three financial years from 2006-07 to 2008-09.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which services his Department and its predecessors have outsourced in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since April 2004, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor has not outsourced any services. All services currently outsourced went through the process prior to this date.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on furniture in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Expenditure by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessors on furniture in each of the last five years is shown as follows:
	
		
			   Total cost () 
			 2004/05 524,490 
			 2005/06 315,124 
			 2006/07 123,703 
			 2007/08 1,297,092 
			 2008-09 1,228,197

Departmental Official Hospitality

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors has spent on ( a) conference services and  (b) banqueting services in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of expenditure on conferences incurred by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			
			 2008-09 978,338 
			 2007-08 692,232 
			 2006-07 1,284,335 
			 2005-06 945,416 
			 2004-05 1,082,099 
		
	
	DCSF is unable to separately identify the costs for conference services and banqueting services as such expenditure is recorded under the general heading of 'Conference Costs' on the Department's financial system.
	DCSF was established under Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. The expenditure recorded also relates to that of its predecessor Department, the Department for Education and Skills.

Departmental Press Releases

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to which media organisations his Department sends press releases.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's press releases are sent to all organisations representing national and regional TV, radio and newspapers, and a range of other media companies. All press releases are also posted on the Department's website. A list of all of the organisations will be placed in the House Libraries.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to table 8.3 of his Department's annual report 2008, pages 88-9, Detailed breakdown of expenditure by function within departmental expenditure limit, 2002-03 to 2010-11, which individual programmes and corresponding allocations are aggregated as other miscellaneous programmes for 2010-11; which grants and corresponding allocations are aggregated as other standards funds for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2010-11; and which grants and corresponding allocations are aggregated within area-based grants for 2010-11.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's grants and programmes aggregated as within other miscellaneous programmes for 2010-11 are provided in Table 1:
	
		
			  Table 1: Departmental report allocation2010-11 
			  Schools:   million 
			 Music and Dance 37 
			 Redundancy Costs 12 
			 TDA 593 
			 NCSL 84 
			 Partnership for Schools 1 
			 Teachers TV 9 
			 National Strategies 473 
			 Total 1,209 
		
	
	The Department's grants and programmes aggregated as within Other standards funds for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2010-11 are provided in Table 2:
	
		
			  Table 2: Departmental report allocation2007-08 to 2010-11 
			   million 
			  Other Standards Fund  2007-08  2010-11 
			 Schools Development Grant 1,898 2,133 
			 Local Area Agreement Grant 166  
			 Total 2,064 2,133 
		
	
	The Department's grants and programmes aggregated as within area based grants for 2010-11 are provided in Table 3:
	
		
			  Table 3: Departmental area based grants figures2010-11 
			  DCSF grants to local authorities   million 
			 Connexions 467 
			 Extended Schools - Start Up 71 
			 School Development Grant (LA retained element) 168 
			 Children's Fund 132 
			 Positive Activities for Young People 95 
			 Care Matters 55 
			 Secondary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 30 
			 Primary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 30 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 28 
			 School Improvement Partners 24 
			 Extended Rights for Free Travel 29 
			 Children's Social Care Workforce 18 
			 School Intervention 15 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 Partnerships Funding 15 
			 Secondary Behaviour and Attendance: Central Co-ordination 14 
			 Education Health Partnerships 13 
			 Child Death Review Processes 8 
			 Youth Substance Misuse 7 
			 School Travel Advisers 7 
			 Choice Advisers 6 
			 Youth Taskforce 4 
			 General Duty on Sustainable Travel To School 4 
			 Designated Teacher Funding 3 
			 Child Trust Fund 1 
			 Total area based grants 1,242 
		
	
	The total in this table contains figures that have been updated since the publication of the 2008 Departmental Report.

Departmental Publications

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on placing supplements in  (a) Children and Young People Now magazine and  (b) Community Care magazine in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since 1 May 2008, the Department has placed two items in Community Care magazine, at a cost of 6,228, and two in Children and Young People Now magazine, costing 27,861.

Head Teachers: Retirement

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of head teachers in post in 2009 who will have retired by  (a) 2010,  (b) 2015 and  (c) 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: As we said in the Children's Plan, over 60 per cent. of head teachers are now over 50, which means that within the next decade a whole generation of head teachers will be retiring. Of the number of head teachers in post in 2009 we estimate that by 2010, 6 per cent. will have retired, by 2015 this will have risen to 38 per cent. and by 2020 it will have reached 55 per cent.(1) Dealing with the loss of their skills and experience will be a challenge but also an opportunity for innovation and reform. We have invested 30 million in the National College for School Leadership's succession planning strategy which is working with schools, local authorities and faith bodies around the country to develop local solutions to find, develop and keep great head teachers.
	(1) The estimates assume that the head teachers in post in 2009 will choose to retire at the current average age of 58 years. This estimate is therefore a predictive trend of retirement as we cannot forecast with certainty the future retirement behaviours of individuals.

History: Primary Education

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to improve the teaching of  (a) history and  (b) British history in primary schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We asked Sir Jim Rose to review the primary curriculum in order to reduce prescription and give schools more time to teach essential knowledge and skills in greater depth. In the revised primary curriculum, it is proposed that, from 2011, schools will be required to teach children the broad chronology of major events in the UK, from ancient civilisations to present day. At least two key periods of history that were significant to the locality and the UK must be studied in depth. A consultation on these proposals will run until 24 July.
	More specifically on support for teachers, the Training and Development Agency (TDA) has supported History initial teacher training (ITT) by providing access to specialist subject knowledge for ITT tutors and mentors. This is delivered via the History subject resource network, led by the Historical Association. In 2008 TDA also funded the Historical Association to develop subject specific online CPD opportunities. The e-CPD modules offer a package of support and a programme of professional development activity for history tutors and teachers undertaking subject development or improvement projects in their own schools.

International Baccalaureate

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils at  (a) maintained schools,  (b) sixth form colleges,  (c) independent schools and  (d) comprehensive schools were entered for the International Baccalaureate examination in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information is provided in the following table. Data were not collected prior to 2005/06 and so the information is available only for the past three years.
	
		
			   2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Maintained schools 607 755 726 
			 Comprehensive 365 510 452 
			 Independent 922 1,152 1,313 
			 Sixth form college 55 112 176 
			 Other FE college 206 242 270 
			 Total 1,790 2,261 2,485 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August).  2. 'Maintained schools' include comprehensive, selective, modern, PRUs and hospital schools.  Source:  School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables data.

Primary Education

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the number of primary school places required for the academic years  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Local authorities are responsible for planning the creation of new school places and are under a duty to ensure sufficient school places are available to meet local needs. The Department allocates basic need funding to enable local authorities to provide the additional places needed in response to a growth in pupil numbers. For funding the additional school places the Department relies on authorities' own estimates of future primary and secondary pupil numbers, which they provide to the Department annually through the Surplus Places Survey. At January 2008 there were 3.823 million pupils in primary schools in England and local authorities estimated the primary school population would increase by around 2.5 per cent. over the following four academic years as follows:
	
		
			   LA estimated number of primary pupils (million)  Annual increase ( percentage ) 
			 2008-09 3.833 +0.26 
			 2009-10 3.847 +0.37 
			 2010-11 3.875 +0.73 
			 2011-12 3.919 +1.14 
			  Source:  Surplus Places Survey 2008

Primary Education

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in each local authority will require temporary accommodation to be constructed in order to provide additional state sector primary school places in the academic year  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not hold estimates of the amount of temporary accommodation that may be required by schools.
	Local authorities are responsible for planning the creation of new school places and are under a duty to ensure sufficient school places are available to meet local needs. Through good asset management processes, they are encouraged to plan for future accommodation requirements.
	Temporary accommodation is appropriate where there is too little time to construct permanent accommodation, or where the need is likely to be short term. In such circumstances, modern, high-quality temporary buildings provide a good environment for teaching and learning. Where they are new or relocated, they are required to meet building environmental standards similar to those which apply to permanent buildings.

Pupils: Obesity

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity; what proportion of school-age children he estimates are  (a) overweight and  (b) obese; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In the year since the 372 million Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: a Cross Government Strategy for England was published there has been substantial progress. The Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: One Year On annual report was published last month, which sets out in detail our progress to date and also the areas we need to focus on over the next year. A copy of the report is available on the DCSF and Department of Health websites.
	The two main sources of data on childhood obesity are the Health Survey for England (HSE) and National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). In 2008, the HSE data showed that the estimated prevalence of overweight among 2 to 15-year-olds was 14.0 per cent. and the prevalence of obesity was 16.5 per cent. The 2007/8 NCMP results showed that in reception year 13.0 per cent. of children were overweight and 9.6 per cent. were obese and that in Year 6 14.3 per cent. of children were overweight and 18.3 per cent. were obese.

Pupils: Obesity

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department has issued on the education of highly obese children in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's strategy for addressing overweight and obesity is set out in Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England and in the recent progress report Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: One Year On. The latter report sets out how we can continue our drive to combat obesity by helping people to make healthier choices, creating an environment that promotes healthy weight, providing quality services that identify, advise, refer and treat those at risk, and strengthening the delivery system. The initial focus of the strategy is on children.
	The most recent data from the National Child Measurement Programme for 2007/08 and from the Health Survey for England for 2007 suggests that the trend in obesity prevalence may have begun to flatten out over the last two to three years. The Cross-Government Obesity Unit provides primary care trusts and schools with annual guidance on the National Child Measurement Programme which includes information on sending the results from the programme back to parents.
	There is no evidence that there are large numbers of children who need special arrangements for their education on the grounds that they are obese, and the Department has not issued guidance on the specific topic of education of obese children. If school nurses or other health professionals are concerned about a child's health because of his or her apparent weight status they should take action according to standard local care pathways. However, children with health problems related to obesity may need support at school in managing these conditions, and for these pupils schools should have policies in place on the management of pupils' medicines and on supporting pupils with medical needs. The Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health have published joint guidance, Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings, to help schools and their employers develop such policies.
	There may be a small number of children whose weight gives rise to mobility problems and who might also meet the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 definition of a disabled person. Guidance has been issued to schools and local authorities on their responsibilities under the Act: this and can be found at
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/disability/disabilityandthedda/

Schools

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average  (a) class size,  (b) number and percentage of pupils with special educational needs,  (c) free school meal entitlement percentage,  (d) suspension rate,  (e) exclusion rate,  (f) expenditure per pupil,  (g) truancy rate and  (h) punctuality rate was in (i) schools in England and (ii) each national challenge school in each seaside town in the latest period for which information is available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 23 February 2009
	 To provide all of the requested information for England and each national challenge school in each seaside town would incur disproportionate cost.
	Information on special needs, free school meal eligibility and expenditure per pupil for each national challenge school in each seaside town has been placed in the House Libraries.
	The latest available published information on average class sizes, which includes information for local authorities, is published as SFR 09/2008 Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2008 which can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/index.shtml
	The latest available published information on pupils with special educational needs, which includes information for local authorities, is published as SFR 15/2008 Special Educational Needs in England: January 2008 which can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000794/index.shtml
	The latest available published information on the number and percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals, which includes information for local authorities, is published as SFR 09/2008 Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2008 which can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/index.shtml
	The latest available published information about permanent and fixed period exclusions, which includes information for local authorities, is published as SFR 14/2008 Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2006/07 which can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000793/index.shtml
	Information is collected on unauthorised absence. Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy. Information collected by the Department on absence is a more comprehensive measure of children's missed schooling.
	The Department's focus is on reducing all forms of absence, not just a small subset. The issue is not whether the pupil had permission to be absent; it is how much absence the pupil has.
	The absence SFR provides information on absence, which includes authorised and unauthorised absence, and highlights the numbers of pupils who are persistent absentees missing 20 per cent. or more of their schooling, whether with permission or not.
	The latest available published information on absence, which includes information for local authorities, is published as SFR 03/2009 Pupil Absence in Schools in England, including Pupil Characteristics: 2007/08 at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000832/index.shtml

Schools: Playing Fields

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to retain for community sport and leisure use school playing fields which are surplus to requirements.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: When we consulted on the effects of the disposal of school playing fields, local authorities and schools expressed concerns about the financial implications of maintaining school playing fields that were genuinely surplus to requirements. The Department does, however, encourage schools and local authorities to consider arrangements whereby such playing fields could be maintained by other local organisations and managed to benefit their local communities. When considering any application to dispose of school playing fields, the views of any authorised community users of the land are fully taken into account.

Schools: Training

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the amount of time provided by schools for staff training in new technologies and initiatives.

Jim Knight: Decisions about the appropriate amount of time allocated for training individual members of school staff, including training in new technologies and initiatives, are made at school level. For teachers these decisions will be taken in the context of the revised performance management arrangements we introduced in September 2007. In many schools similar arrangements have been introduced for all school staff.
	The Department works to support the professional development of school staff and recently, for example, made provision during the 2007/08 academic year for schools to reduce their school sessions from 190 to 189 days to provide additional opportunities for staff training on the secondary curriculum changes. On 30 April, we announced that similar provision would be made for primary schools in 2010 to provide training to staff in advance of a new primary curriculum being introduced from 2011. A comprehensive package of guidance and support for schools to aid introduction of a new primary curriculum will be available from January 2010.
	In addition, the Department is working with the QCA and BECTA to consider what additional support teachers will need to meet the raised expectations of children's ICT capabilities, and the use of technology to enrich learning across the curriculum, as set out in the final report of Jim Rose's review of the primary curriculum.

Science: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils who were  (a) eligible and  (b) ineligible for free school meals took GCSEs in (i) science, (ii) science and additional science and (iii) separate science subjects in 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The number of pupils at the end of KS4 who attempted the following science subjects in 2008 by free school meals eligibility.
	
		
			   FSM  Non-FSM 
			 Physics 2,100 50,600 
			 Chemistry 2,100 51,000 
			 Biological sciences 2,700 55,700 
			 Core science 56,100 409,600 
			 Core and additional science 31,800 299,100

Special Educational Needs: Disadvantaged

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils who were eligible for free school meals had statements of special educational needs in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 20 March 2009
	Pupil level data has only been collected since 2002.
	The earliest and latest available data has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Data for further years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Teachers: Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to increase the number of school-based teacher training mentors; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Between 2001 and 2009 the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) has supported a significant number of initiatives to increase both the number and quality of school based mentors in initial teacher training (ITT) and in continuing professional development. Since 2001 the number of trainee teachers has risen from 27,000 to over 36,000 this year. In order to ensure that all trainees have a well trained mentor in their placement schools the TDA has invested in significant programmes:
	2002 to 2006the National Partnership Project (over 20 million over the lifetime of the project)a wide-ranging programme of support for mentor training, including sharing of best practice; direct funding for higher education institution mentor training with schools and support for the building of regional sharing of mentors and training between ITT providers.
	2006 to 2009Partnership development schools (over 6 million)worked with over 600 schools on national priority areas focusing on mentoring on a local level.
	From 2009Beyond Partnershipthe TDA is opening out a consultation process with the ITT sector to explore best use of the investment made and how further support can be developed and delivered.
	Evidence of Ofsted inspections and feedback from ITT providers, schools and regional field-forces indicates that this investment has had a significant impact ensuring that all trainees receive high quality training during their school experience, including the support of a well-trained mentor.
	In response to the recommendations made in Lord Sainsbury's report The Race to the Top, the TDA has put into place an Early Career Mentoring project for science and mathematics teachers. This project is a two-year evaluative pilot, being delivered by the Learning and Skills Network that will provide face-to-face, telephone and e-mentoring for 600 (rising to 800 in the second year) science and mathematics trainee teachers, newly qualified teachers and teachers in their second year of teaching. The programme will start in September 2009.
	The Professional Standards for Teachers also make clear that being a coach and mentor are key aspects of teacher professional development, and this is referenced more strongly as the individual progresses up the career ladder. The Government are committed to the introduction of the Masters in Teaching and Learning programme from 2009/10, an initiative that will establish teaching as a masters-level profession. A key element of that will include the identification and training of in-school coaches.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 715W, on trade unions, what office facilities his Department provides for the exclusive use of each recognised trade union; and what the notional monetary value of such provision was in 2008-09.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department provides a small office, with furniture, for the exclusive use of the trade unions on each of our four sites. This can be used for confidential phone calls and meetings with individual union members. Other facilities, such as IT and photocopying facilities, are provided on a shared basis, similar to that provided to our other staff.
	The notional cost apportioned to the office space provided is as follows:
	
		
			  Site  Cost per annum () 
			 Sheffield 11,030 
			 London 23,800 
			 Runcorn 3,170 
			 Darlington 2,770 
			   
			 Total 40,770

Truancy

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have pupil populations in which more than  (a) five,  (b) 10,  (c) 15,  (d) 20,  (e) 25,  (f) 30,  (g) 35,  (h) 40,  (i) 45 and  (j) 50 per cent. of pupils are persistent absentees (i) overall and (ii) in year (A) nine, (B) 10 and (C) 11.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3) : Number of schools by percentage of persistent absentees( 4) , 2007/08 
			   Number of schools 
			  Percentage of persistent absentees( 5)  Overall  Year 9  Year 10  Year 11 
			 More than 5% 3,348 1,825 2,453 2,881 
			 More than 10% 788 635 1,011 1,612 
			 More than 15% 332 319 459 730 
			 More than 20% 182 191 251 392 
			 More than 25% 127 131 175 231 
			 More than 30% 95 106 143 181 
			 More than 35% 71 80 112 140 
			 More than 40% 43 49 88 114 
			 More than 45% 27 39 73 105 
			 More than 50% 19 24 45 75 
			 (1) Includes maintained secondary, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (2) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (3) Includes schools with at least one enrolment aged between five and 15. (4) Persistent absentees are defined as having more than 63 sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, typically over 20 per cent. overall absence rate. (5) Number of persistent absentees as a percentage of total enrolments.  Source: School Census 
		
	
	The information is a variation of table 4.4 in SFR03/2009, which was reissued with revised row delimiters on 21 April 2009. However, the above information is taken from a dataset which contains a minor amendment and is now being used for all pupil absence analysis.

Truancy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the rate of truancy.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's strategy on school attendance aims to reduce all forms of absence, not merely absence which schools do not authorise (which includes truancy). Our particular focus is on individual pupils who are persistent absentees, who miss 20 per cent. or more of their schooling, whether with permission or not.
	This year the Department is working closely through the National Strategies with 42 local authorities with high levels of persistent absence. The National Strategies are providing intensive support and challenge to minimise absence, particularly in 360 secondary schools in those authorities with high persistent absence. A further 102 local authorities with lower rates of persistent absence are receiving support to reduce persistent absence in 795 secondary schools with high levels of persistent absence.
	Our work on reducing absence, and persistent absence, has been successful. Overall absence rates in 2007-08 were 6.29 per cent., down from 7.41 per cent. in 1996-97, equivalent to some 70,000 more pupils in school every day.
	The total number of persistent absentees in 2007-08 was 233,000, down from 273,000 in 2006-07, a reduction of 14.5 per cent.

Truancy: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many days of unauthorised absence were recorded in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information is not available in the form requested. The available information on the number of days of unauthorised absence in Staffordshire local authority for the last five years is shown in the table. To provide pupil absence data at constituency level would incur disproportionate cost.
	Absence data is normally reported in terms of sessions. There are two sessions per day.
	
		
			  Primary and secondary schools( 1,)( )( 2) , number of days of unauthorised absence 2003/04 to 2007/08, Staffordshire local authority 
			   Primary( 1)  Secondary( 1,)( )( 2) 
			 2007/08 16,880 69,690 
			 2006/07 17,900 64,380 
			 2005/06 (3)17,300 57,780 
			 2004/05 (3)15,050 (3)52,260 
			 2003/04 (3)15,900 (3)53,740 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Figures in italics have been sourced from the Absence in Schools Survey. Other figures are derived from School Census returns.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Absence in School Survey and School Census(3)

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street: Security

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether  (a) Mr. Derek Draper and  (b) Mr. Charlie Whelan has a security pass for 10 Downing Street.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 182W.

12 Downing Street

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost to the public purse was of establishing the new open plan office in 12 Downing Street.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to his question on 11 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1131W.

Business: Government Assistance

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what budget the Cabinet Office has set for the real help now website for 2009-10.

Liam Byrne: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 355W.

Childbirth: Migration

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 956-7W, on child birth, what forecast he has made of the number of births there would be if  (a) net migration were six per cent. lower than the principal projection,  (b) migration equalled emigration and  (c) net migration were 60,000 in each year to 2031.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2009:
	.
	Migration assumptions for national population projections are conventionally expressed in terms of net migration (immigration less emigration). The 2006-based principal (or central) projection assumed a long-term annual net inflow to the UK of +190,000 persons a year. The attached table shows the projected number of births in the UK for each year from mid-2008 to mid-2031 according to this 2006-based principal national population projection which is included for the sake of completeness.
	The 2006-based 'zero migration' variant projection makes the same assumptions about future fertility and mortality as the principal projection, but assumes that immigration will equal emigration, and thus net migration will be zero, at all ages from mid-2006 to the end of the projection period. The projected numbers of births in the UK for each year from mid-2008 to mid-2031 according to this variant projection are also shown in the table.
	To fully answer your question, further population projections have been produced by reducing the nominal immigration totals applied in the 2006-based principal projection, but leaving the fertility, mortality and emigration assumptions unchanged. It should be noted that, in practice, this may not be a realistic scenario: if immigration fell permanently to levels well below those experienced in recent years, it is likely that this would, in time, lead to a reduction in the level of emigration as well.
	
		
			  Projected number of births, United Kingdom, 2008 to 2031 
			  2006-based population projections (thousands) 
			   Published projections  Special variant projections( 1) 
			  Year to  Principal  Zero migration variant  Net migration  6  per cent.  lower than principal  Net migration 60,000 a year 
			 Mid-2008 769 756 769 766 
			 Mid-2009 781 757 780 772 
			 Mid-2010 790 756 789 776 
			 Mid-2011 797 753 795 777 
			 Mid-2012 799 745 798 774 
			 Mid-2013 799 735 797 770 
			 Mid-2014 798 726 796 765 
			 Mid-2015 799 717 796 761 
			 Mid-2016 801 711 798 760 
			 Mid-2017 804 706 800 759 
			 Mid-2018 805 700 801 757 
			 Mid-2019 806 695 802 755 
			 Mid-2020 806 689 801 752 
			 Mid-2021 804 682 799 748 
			 Mid-2022 802 676 797 744 
			 Mid-2023 799 670 793 739 
			 Mid-2024 796 665 791 735 
			 Mid-2025 794 660 788 732 
			 Mid-2026 792 657 786 729 
			 Mid-2027 790 653 784 726 
			 Mid-2028 788 650 783 724 
			 Mid-2029 788 647 782 722 
			 Mid-2030 788 645 781 721 
			 Mid-2031 788 643 782 720 
			 (1 )Additional population projections produced using reduced immigration assumptions compared to the principal projection. 
		
	
	Using this method, two further projections have been produced; one assumes annual net migration inflows to the UK six per cent lower than those assumed for the principal projection, whilst the other assumes annual net migration inflows of +60,000 persons a year. The table therefore also shows the projected number of births in the UK for these two additional projections.

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service on changes to the code of conduct for civil servants and political advisers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on changes to the code of conduct for civil servants and political advisers; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not normally disclosed.

Damian McBride

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what severance package has been agreed upon in respect of the departure of Damian McBride from the staff of his Department.

Liam Byrne: Special advisers are employed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers.
	Mr. McBride received no severance package on leaving office.

Damian McBride

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  whether the resignation of Damian McBride from his position as a special adviser had immediate effect;
	(2)  on what date each Minister in the Cabinet Office was informed of the emails sent by Damian McBride to Derek Draper.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 May 2009
	Mr McBride resigned with immediate effect.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 379W.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how much was spent by the Cabinet Office on furniture for 10 Downing Street in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much was spent by  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) its agency on furniture in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of Cabinet Office. The cost for the Cabinet Office for the financial year 2007-08 was 139,887.
	For information for previous years I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 29 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1031W, and on 23 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 295-96W.
	Figures for the financial year 2008-09 will be available once the Cabinet Office accounts have been audited.

Departmental Manpower

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who is responsible for the line management of civil servants based in 10 Downing Street; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what the job title of each employee within 10 Downing Street is;
	(2)  what the organisational structure of the posts in 10 Downing Street is.

Kevin Brennan: Jeremy Heywood is the most senior civil servant in the Prime Minister's Office reporting to the Cabinet Secretary. Further information on the Prime Minister's Office is available in Dodd's publications, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) civil servants,  (b) secondees,  (c) contractors,  (d) consultants,  (e) fee-paid staff,  (f) agency staff,  (g) Downing Street Political Office staff and  (h) other staff worked in 10 Downing Street as at April 2009.

Kevin Brennan: The total number of staff on the No. 10 payroll as at 1 April 2009 is 200. The staffing and associated costs for the Political Office are met by the Labour party. As has been the case under successive Administrations, marginal costs associated with the Political Office are met from within the overall budget for 10 Downing Street.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which special advisers  (a) were dismissed,  (b) resigned,  (c) were demoted and  (d) were disciplined in each year since June 2007.

Liam Byrne: Special advisers are employed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. Since 2003, the Government have published, on an annual basis, a list of special advisers by Department. The next list will be published before the summer recess. Personal information about individual special advisers is not normally disclosed.

Departmental Publications

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the Central Office of Information White Book, March 2009 edition.

Liam Byrne: A copy has now been placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Security

Nick Harvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on how many occasions the Cabinet Office's head of departmental security has invited the Director-General of the International Bodyguard Association to assess his Department's security in the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: The Director-General of the International Bodyguard Association was invited, on just one occasion in 2008, to act as an independent reviewer on part of one small ad hoc review being undertaken by the Cabinet Office.
	The Department has no on-going business relationship with The Director-General of the International Bodyguard Association.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of office supplies purchased by his Department were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office purchases the majority of its office supplies through two contracts for paper and other stationery items which include a wide range of recycled products. Between May 2008 when the current contracts started and March 2009, 84 per cent. of paper and 20 per cent. of other items purchased via these contracts were recycled products.

Honours: Arts

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who appoints the Chair of the Arts and Media Honours Committee.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 May 2009
	The independent chairs of the eight honours committees are appointed by the Cabinet Secretary after a process of open advertising, written application and interview.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will instruct Ministers, their Departments and Government agencies to correspond with hon. Members at their House of Commons offices unless they have been instructed otherwise by hon. Members.

Liam Byrne: The Cabinet Office guidance 'Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs and Members of Devolved Assemblies' makes clear that replies to letters from hon. Members should be sent to the originating office of the correspondence unless indicated otherwise by the hon. Member concerned. Copies of the guidance are available in the Libraries of the House.

Non-profit Making Associations: Olympic Games 2012

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Government are taking to encourage social enterprises to take up commercial opportunities arising out of the London 2012 Olympics.

Kevin Brennan: The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) works closely with Social Enterprise London (SEL), as a strategic partner, whose remit is to promote the work of social enterprises to the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), and their 2012 supply chain. Under the project 'Winning with social enterprise', SEL promotes commercial opportunities to social enterprises across the country, encouraging them to bid for the contracts and signposting to relevant sources of business support when necessary.
	Funding from the project enables SEL to engage with London 2012 to promote social enterprise as a potential contractor. SEL also delivers regional workshops about 2012 commercial opportunities to social enterprises across England. The workshops provide detailed information about how social enterprises can register on the CompeteFor system, and where they can obtain further support and guidance.

Redundancy

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) men and  (b) women in each age group in each local authority area in England and Wales were made redundant in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) men and (b) women in each age group were made redundant in each local authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years. (275266)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, this source does not support analysis of redundancies at these geographic levels and no alternative source is available.

Unemployment

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in which parliamentary constituencies the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of people out of work was greater in the latest month for which figures are available than in the equivalent month of 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, May 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking in which parliamentary constituencies the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of people out of work was greater in the latest month for which figures are available than in the equivalent month of 1997.(275446)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles unemployment statistics in line with International Labour Market Organisation definitions, for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the Annual Labour Force Survey.
	Unfortunately, due to small sample sizes at this level of geography it is not practicable to produce the requested analyses.
	As an alternative, Table 1 shows the Parliamentary Constituencies where the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (Claimant Count), the main unemployment related benefit, was higher in April 2009 compared to April 1997-Table 2 shows the Parliamentary Constituencies where the proportion of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance was higher in April 2009 compared to April 1997.
	A copy of the tables has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The definition of the claimant count has not changed since 1997, following the introduction of Jobseeker's Allowance in 1996.
	Although not a change to the definition of the claimant count, the introduction of the system of joint claims for Jobseeker's Allowance from 2001 has meant that both members of certain couples are now required to claim JSA jointly and both are required to look for work. This change has led to certain claims being counted as two separate claims when they would previously have appeared as one claim. Without this change, the current level of the unemployment claimant count would be about 9,000 lower than it currently is.